How to get Galarian Birds in Pokemon Go & can they be Shiny?

Galarian Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos in Pokemon GoNiantic

Galarian Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos are all in Pokemon Go, but finding them is tricky and will require the use of an item called the Daily Adventure Incense.

Adding a new Legendary to your collection in Pokemon Go usually requires you to defeat them in a Raid Battle, but things work a little differently for the Galarian versions of Kanto’s Legendary birds.

These three powerful creatures — Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos — have been in Pokemon Go for a healthy period of time. But, the Galarian versions are far from easy to obtain.

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Below, you’ll find all the information you need to encounter Galarian Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos in Pokemon Go.

Daily-Incense-in-Pokemon-GoNiantic

How to find Galarian Articuno, Moltres & Zapdos in Pokemon Go

Right now, the only way to encounter Galarian Articuno, Galarian Moltres, or Galarian Zapdos in Pokemon Go is to use the Daily Adventure Incense item and explore until one spawns.

Daily Adventure Incense is a special Incense that lasts for 15 minutes and has the potential to attract some rare Pokemon to your location. Even better, a free one will appear in your Items every day.

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However, one catch to Daily Adventure Incense is that it can be paused with an Adventure Effect. An Adventure Effect costs Stardust and Candy, and the one that specifically pauses the Incense is called Roar of Time. Roar of Time can be used by Origin Forme Dialga.

You’ll need to complete the A Mysterious Incense Special Research story before you can use the Daily Adventure Incense.

A poster for the Mysterious Incense Special Research in Pokemon GoNiantic

How to catch Galarian Articuno, Moltres & Zapdos in Pokemon Go

Once you’ve encountered a Galarian Articuno, Moltres, or Zapdos, the hard part will be catching it as these rare Legendaries have a 90% flee rate. This means they’ll likely run away if you miss your shot.

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While it’s never guaranteed that you’ll be able to catch them, you can increase your chances by using Silver Pinap Berries or Golden Razz Berries and then landing Excellent Curveball Throws.

Fortunately, a new Daily Adventure Incense will appear in your items collection each day, so if the Galarian Legendary bird you encounter flees, you’ll always get another chance tomorrow!

Can the Legendary Galarian Birds be Shiny in Pokemon Go?

Yes, the Galarian versions of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos will have their Shiny versions available in Pokemon Go in October 2024, when the Galarian Expedition event begins.

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The Kanto versions of those three birds also have Shiny versions.

How catching Shiny versions of Galarian Birds works

While the regular versions of Galarian Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos all have high flee rates, Niantic confirmed before the Galarian Expedition event that the Shiny versions will not flee from encounters.

However, the catch isn’t guaranteed, meaning it may take a couple or many Poke Balls to catch one during an encounter.

Be sure to check out the latest Community Day schedule in Pokemon Go, plus best counters for Arlo, Cliff, and Sierra.

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