7 best Bird Pokemon designs, ranked

The Pokemon franchise is known for its many memorable character designs throughout the various iterations of the series. Some of the most consistent have been the avian creatures. Birds may not seem like an interesting base when designing a new monster, given the kingdom of animals shares so many similar traits like beaks and wings.

While there have been a lot of basic bird-inspired monsters in the series, some truly stand out by being the best designs of their generation. Here are the top seven best designs for bird Pokemon throughout the franchise's history.

Note: This list is subjective and based on the author's opinions.

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7 of the best Bird Pokemon designs

7) Corviknight

Corviknight is an interesting take on an armored bird, which manages to be completely different from Skarmory, a creature with the same theme (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Despite being a Steel and Flying-type armored bird, a highly similar concept to Skarmory, Corviknight feels like a fresh new take on the concept. Rather than appearing fast and sleek, Corviknight embraces its thematic typing, being big and bulky, appearing to wear a suit of armor. This is a completely different direction than Skarmory. The two are so different that many players do not initially consider their similarities.

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6) Noctowl

Noctowl used to be one of the worst creatures in terms of casual or competitive viability, but it has improved gradually (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Noctowl is the regional bird of the Johto region and was introduced to show off the game's day-night cycle, which was revolutionary at the time, since Hoothoot, Noctowl's pre-evolved form, only appears at night. Noctowl's angry brow and dark circles under its eyes make it quite a menacing creature. Its appearances in the anime only added to this bird's frightening interpretation.

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5) Staraptor

Staraptor is a staple of many players' Generation 4 teams (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Staraptor is a favorite for many fans of the fourth generation of the Pokemon franchise. The glare and long head feathers make it feel like the perfect creature for players wanting an alternative to the more cutesy designs of the Sinnoh region's early-game creatures. This led to Staraptor being one of the most popular creatures from the fourth generation.

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4) Archeops

Archeops is a Fossil Pokemon from the fifth generation of the franchise (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Archeops is one of the most unique Fossil Pokemon due to its signature ability, Defeatist, and being the only feathered dinosaur to be a part of the franchise. As a design, Archeops features scales and a thick coat of feathers. Its body also has much stronger legs, being overall much bulkier. In 3D, this is communicated well through its fast wing flapping.

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3) Honchkrow

Honchkrow was added in the fourth generation, despite its pre-evolved form coming out in the second generation (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Honchkrow is easily one of the most memorable birds from the Sinnoh region. Appearing on the team of Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic, Honchkrow has always had a menacing aura as somewhat of an unofficial villain in certain contexts of the game. With the transition to 3D models letting it show off its true size, modern renditions of Honchkrow only improve its design.

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2) Zapdos

Zapdos is one of the original Legendary Pokemon in the franchise (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Zapdos is a member of the first Legendary Trio to come to the franchise. Creatures in the first generation are iconic for their sharp-edged designs, which made the earlier monsters feel more like beasts living in the world rather than a 10-year-old kid's pet. Zapdos is ripe in these design philosophies, making it one of the most iconic bird designs.

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1) Mandibuzz

Mandibuzz is easily the best designed Flying-type (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Mandibuzz is a Flying and Dark-type introduced in the fifth generation and is exclusive to Pokemon Black and its sequel. Nostalgic details like the sharp eyes and pointed detailing on its plumage make some creatures from the first generation truly stand out among modern monsters. The ribcage belt and the femur sticking out of its top head tuft offer a level of gruesome detailing that the community rarely sees from most other cutesy pocket monsters.