Utility
Balanced
262Low
50Slow
DTier

Almost nobody uses Hoothoot in battle. It exists to evolve into Noctowl, which is a completely different story. Get it there and you won't regret it. Ground and Ghost moves can't touch it, and only 3 types hit it super-effectively. Known as the Owl Pokemon.

HP and Sp. Def carry most of Hoothoot's stat budget. Attack's the obvious dump stat. Easy to catch and yields 1 HP EV. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
262Below
HP60
C
Attack30
F
Defense30
F
Sp. Atk36
F
Sp. Def56
D
Speed50
D
Total262
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Hoothoot yields +1 HP
HP+1AtkDefSpASpDSpe
Details
Catch255GuaranteedMedium Fast1M XP0.7m / 2'04"21.2kg / 46.7 lbs52Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It always stands on one foot. It changes feet so fast, the movement can rarely be seen.

Gold

It has a perfect sense of time. Whatever happens, it keeps rhythm by precisely tilting its head in time.

Silver

Hoothoot Weakness

Good

Hoothoot's Normal/Flying typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Ice, and Rock moves. It shrugs off Ground and Ghost-type attacks completely. Hoothoot's special bulk (base 56 Sp.Def) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Gen II Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
  • Special stat split into Sp.Atk and Sp.Def
4xCriticali
None
½xResisti
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
3Weak
2Resist
2Immune
Scorei+2
Stealth Rock25% on switch
Abilities
InsomniaPrevents sleep.
Keen EyePrevents accuracy from being lowered.
Tinted LensHADoubles damage inflicted with not-very-effective moves.

One evolution ahead. Hoothoot grows into Noctowl through a straightforward two-stage chain. A decent partner pool for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are quick to hatch. The evolved forms gain up to 190 total stats over Hoothoot.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Hoothoot
NormalFlying
Noctowl
NormalFlying
HP
60
100+40
ATK
30
50+20
DEF
30
50+20
SP.ATK
36
86+50
SP.DEF
56
96+40
SPE
50
70+20
BST
262D-Tier
452C-Tier+190
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Special
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed Hoothoot easily with 19 breeding partners from the Flying egg group. Pass egg moves like Feint Attack, Mirror Move, Supersonic and 2 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Flying
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
5moves
Breed With (best first)
togeticfarfetchdcrobatpidgeotdodrioxatufearowgolbatnoctowlmurkrowpidgeottonatu

Best Build

Gen 2 build content has limited support (no abilities).

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

You'll want to breed for Feint Attack and Mirror Move on Hoothoot. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Take Down and Fly, they expand what Hoothoot can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Growl
10040Normal
Lv 1
Tackle
3510035Normal
Lv 6
Foresight
10040Normal
Lv 11
Peck
3510035Flying
Lv 16
Hypnosis
6020Psychic
Lv 22
Reflect
20Psychic
Lv 28
Take Down
908520Normal
Lv 34
Confusion
5010025Psychic
Lv 48
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic

TM Moves

Src
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM03
Curse
10Ghost
TM43
Detect+4
5Fighting
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM42
Dream Eater
10010015Psychic
TM20
Endure+4
10Normal
HM05
Flash
7020Normal
HM02
Fly
709515Flying
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM31
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
TM50
Nightmare
10015Ghost
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM35
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM13
Snore
4010015Normal
TM47
Steel Wing
709025Steel
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM34
Swagger
8515Normal
TM39
Swift
6020Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
8510Poison

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Feint Attack
6020Dark
Egg
Mirror Move
20Flying
Egg
Supersonic
5520Normal
Egg
Whirlwind-6
20Normal
Egg
Wing Attack
6010035Flying

Tutor Moves

Hoothoot can't learn any Tutor moves

Hoothoot's scattered across 18 spots in early-game routes with high spawn rates. Check the list below for the closest location to wherever you are in the game. This one's quick.

Best Locations

walking encounters for Hoothoot across 18 spots at Lv. 2-15. The catch is that Gold and Silver don't share every location, so compare what's available in your version.

Route 29
GoldGrassLv.2-4CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 29
SilverGrassLv.2-4CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 1
GoldGrassLv.2-4CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 1
SilverGrassLv.2-4CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 31
SilverGrassLv.3-5CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 2
GoldGrassLv.3-5CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 2
SilverGrassLv.3-5CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 30
GoldGrassLv.4CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 30
SilverGrassLv.4CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
National Park
SilverGrassLv.10-14CommonEarlyFacilityNight
EFFORTLESS
National Park
GoldGrassLv.10-14CommonEarlyFacilityNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 36
GoldGrassLv.13-15CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 36
SilverGrassLv.13-15CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 37
SilverGrassLv.13-15CommonEarlyRouteNight
EFFORTLESS
Route 31
GoldGrassLv.5UncommonEarlyRouteNight
EASY
Route 37
GoldGrassLv.15UncommonEarlyRouteNight
EASY
Route 35
GoldGrassLv.14RareEarlyRouteNight
CHALLENGING
Route 35
SilverGrassLv.14RareEarlyRouteNight
CHALLENGING
  • Hoothoot is meant to evolve into Noctowl. At 262 BST, the stats aren't there for competitive play yet. Pre-evolution Pokemon rarely hold up against fully evolved threats.

  • Watch for Raikou (Electric), Lapras (Ice), and Golem (Rock) when using Hoothoot. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

  • Hoothoot evolves into Noctowl at level 20. Hoothoot is the base form of this evolutionary line.

  • Base 50 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. On offense, Hoothoot is leaning toward the special side (base 36 Sp. Atk). Defensively? Fragile — can't afford to take many hits.

  • Hoothoot appears in 17 games, including Gold & Silver, Crystal, and Ruby & Sapphire.

Available in 17 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Hoothoot spans 8 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.