How do you get shiny Galarian birds in Pokémon Go, and will they run away?

Galarian birds Articuno, ZapdosAnd Moltres are three exceptionally rare Pokémon Go Legendary Pokémon, because you can’t loot them or find them while researching.

They are only found by using a specific daily incense that requires you to actually take a walk, and their capture rate is low with an associated high escape rate. Obtaining these birds can be a tough task, but hardcore collectors will want them too.

Below we explain how to find the Galarian birds (Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres) Pokémon Gohow to find them shiny and whether they will run away if you encounter them.

All three Galarian birds are rare encounters that appear when you use one Daily adventure incensethe blue 15 minute incense that you can use once a day. (You can see it in the top right corner of your Pokémon Go screen, below the weather, compass, and meetup buttons.)

Daily Adventure Incense requires movement to spawn Pokémon and it should be exercise where you actually move locations (rather than just walking on a treadmill).

This incense is the only way to find Galarian Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. It’s rare to encounter birds on your walk, so don’t expect to find them right away.

The birds also have a terrible catch rate And if the first ball you land doesn’t catch them, they will most likely run away. That said, these birds have become the de facto reason you want Master Balls in Pokémon Go, as this guarantees the bird as soon as you encounter one. This subreddit user from Silph Road says that the the catch rate is 0.3% and the escape rate is 90%so you should use a Golden Razz Berry and an Ultra Ball to increase your chances (if you don’t use a Master Ball).

Starting with the “Galarian Expedition” event in October 2024, the birds you encounter now have a chance to shine.

These shinies are great because this actually gives the Galarian birds their Cantonian color schemes: Articuno turns blue, Zapdos turns yellow, and Moltres gets his yellow and orange flames back.

The Shiny odds for Legendary Pokémon in raids are about one in twenty, but since these birds have a unique encounter (found in the wild rather than in raids), it is unknown whether they share this Shiny rate or not. Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf are legendary Pokémon that could also be found in the wild and their shiny rates were also at one in 20, so it’s possible that these birds share that percentage. We will update this guide as we get more information.

The rules for finding the birds are the same as before, you just need extra luck to find the bird shiny – supplemented with the luck you need to actually find a bird.

The main difference between the regular and glossy versions is that shiny Galarian Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres will not fleegiving you as many chances as you want to catch the bird. That said, their catch rate remains the same, so you may run out of Poké Balls before you get a chance to catch the bird.

Make sure you have a supply of Ultra Balls (or a Master Ball) on hand before joining this expedition or you might walk away Real broken heart. Finding a shiny Galarian bird and having to flee because you’re out of Poké Balls sounds like a nightmare.