The new Crown Tundra area of ​​Pokémon Sword and Shield is filled with Legendary Pokémon, including Galarian forms of the three Legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. You'll need to catch the birds as part of your expedition, but they won't make it easy; when you first encounter them in Dyna Tree Hill, in the southernmost portion of the Crown Tundra, they will all flee to a different part of Galar, so you'll need to return to the previous areas and chase them down individually.
Each of the Legendary Birds can be found roaming one of Sword and Shield's three open-world areas: Zapdos flees to the original Wild Area, Moltres lurks around the Isle of Armor, and Articuno roams the Crown Tundra. If you need help tracking down the Legendaries, here's where you can find Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres.
How to Find a Galarian Article
Although Articuno is the only legendary bird to remain in the Crown Tundra, it is arguably the most difficult of the three to catch. We found it lurking on a cliff face on Snowslide Slope, just above the ruins that house Regice. When you get close to the Pokémon, however, it creates two illusionary clones to throw you off. The real Articuno will flap its wings before it starts spinning in a circle with its clones, so pay close attention and approach the real legendary bird when they slow down.
If you choose the correct Articuno, the clones will disappear and the Legendary will attack, starting a battle; wrong choice, however, and the Pokémon will fly to a different part of the Crown Tundra. We've also seen him in the Old Cemetery, but to avoid having to track him down again, save your game when you first spot the Legendary and simply restart if he runs away.
How to Find Galarian Zapdos
Galarian Zapdos is the easiest of the three legendary birds in our experience. We found him walking around Motostoke, so fast travel to the entrance to the city and you should be able to locate him quickly. Zapdos will take off when he sees you, so you need to chase him on your bike. Although it runs quickly, Zapdos gets tired and slows down every few seconds, so be persistent and don't lose sight of it and you'll eventually catch up with the Pokemon.
How to Find Many Galarian
Galarian Moltres is equally easy to find, but a little tricky to actually get. Fast travel to the Armor Isle Master Dojo and you must locate it immediately upon arrival. However, he will fly very fast, so chase him on your bike and try to cut his flight path if you can, because otherwise it will be difficult to keep up with him.
If Moltres escapes you, you can always wait outside the Master Dojo for it; Legendary will fly past the building again in a few minutes when it completes its loop around the island, so you'll have another chance to catch it soon.
other tips
Although legendary birds respawn if you inadvertently knock them out before you catch them, it's a good idea to save them when you first see them; that way you can just restart the game if you knock out the Pokemon, saving you the trouble of chasing it again.
Keep in mind that these Galarian forms have different typifications than the original Legendary Birds. Galarian Articuno is Psychic/Flying, Galarian Zapdos is Fighting/Flying, and Galarian Moltres is Dark/Flying, so prepare your teams before trying to fight each Pokemon. Like other Legendaries, Galarian birds also have really low catch rates, so make sure you have a sufficient supply of Ultra Balls. You'll also increase your chances of catching them if you can paralyze them or put them to sleep.
You'll be tasked with investigating a few other legendary Pokemon in the Crown Tundra, including the expansion pet Calyrex, which you'll need to reunite with your loyal steed. The DLC also introduces two new legendary giants, Regieleki and Regidrago. You can read more about the expansion's new features and Pokémon in our roundup of everything we know about The Crown Tundra.
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