The Origins of 5 Owl Pokemon & the Real Owls Behind Them

Owls are a small group in Pokemon. Their designs lean on the night and the reputation for wisdom, and the Rowlet line adds the silent flight of real owls. All five are in the Flying egg group, the same one most bird Pokemon share.

See all 5 owl Pokemon in one list.

Here's every owl Pokemon:

All 5 Owl Pokemon

#163

Hoothoot

Hoothoot is the Owl Pokemon, a young horned owl crossed with a clock. Its red eyes point to the Eurasian eagle-owl. Its round body is shaped like a clock face, the two prongs of its crest look like clock hands, the markings around its eyes resemble gears, and its tilting stance on one leg makes it look like a pendulum clock. That one-legged stance came from Ken Sugimori's childhood pet bird, which stood the same way.

It begins to hoot at the same time every day, and some Trainers use them in place of clocks. We still hit snooze on an alarm clock that never needs batteries. Its Insomnia ability means it cannot be put to sleep. An ability is a passive effect that works on its own in battle.

#164

Noctowl

Noctowl seems to be based on a horned owl, again the Eurasian eagle-owl with its red eyes. The feathers that form its "horns" also look like a pair of large, bushy eyebrows, a sign of age and wisdom, and owls have long been tied to wisdom. That may explain why it can learn several Psychic moves.

It rotates its head 180 degrees to sharpen its intellectual power when it needs to think. We rotate our chair when we need to think, with mixed results. It weighs 40.8 kg, and its hidden ability, Tinted Lens, doubles the damage of its moves that are not very effective, which are moves the target's type resists (a hidden ability is a rarer ability that only some of a species have).

#722

Rowlet

Rowlet, the Grass Quill Pokemon, is based on an owl from the Tytonidae family, the barn owls, which have heart-shaped faces and dark eyes. It is closest to the common barn owl, which was introduced to Hawaii, the place the Alola region is based on. Its Grass type may refer to grass owls or the pueo, a local owl known for flying over grassy areas of the Hawaiian Islands. The leaves on its chest form a bow tie, a pun that points ahead to Decidueye's bow.

It flies noiselessly on delicate wings and has mastered launching dagger-sharp feathers from those same wings. (We are not sure we want a round ball of feathers that throws knives in the house.) It stands 0.3 m tall and weighs 1.5 kg.

#723

Dartrix

Dartrix, the Blade Quill Pokemon, keeps Rowlet's barn owl base and its link to the pueo. The two leaves around its face appear to come from the outer rim around the facial disc of the Hawaiian pueo, and the strands of "hair" on its head may be the leaves of a seedling sprouting from a seed.

It regularly basks in sunlight to gather power, presumably because of the frigid climate, and the edges of the blade quills in its wings stay as keen as ever. Sitting in the sun and calling it work is the part we relate to most. Its hidden ability, Long Reach, keeps its moves from making contact, so it avoids effects that punish attackers who touch the target.

#724

Decidueye

Decidueye, the Arrow Quill Pokemon, resembles the pueo, a common physical form of the aumakua, the ancestral spirits of Hawaiian culture, which may account for its Ghost type. It also shares traits with the common barn owl, known in some places as the "ghost owl", and with an archer and Robin Hood.

Hisuian Decidueye's earthy colors and shorter wings seem to come from deciduous leaves changing color in autumn. Its hat of feathers resembles a kasa, possibly the ayaigasa worn by samurai archers, and autumn leaves are often tied to the rōnin, samurai who fell from grace. It may also draw on Cikap-kamuy, the Ainu god of owls, and through it on Blakiston's fish owl. Air stored in the shafts of its feathers insulates it against Hisui's extreme cold, firm proof that environment can influence evolution. We would read the comic about a wandering samurai owl with a bow.

Owl Folklore Gave Noctowl Psychic Moves and Decidueye a Ghost Type

Owls have long stood for wisdom, which may be why Noctowl can learn Psychic moves. They were also once seen as bearers of death and disturbed spirits, and Decidueye, built on an owl that Hawaiian culture treats as an ancestral spirit, became a Ghost type. Hoothoot and Noctowl share the Insomnia ability, so neither can be put to sleep.