Mixed
Pivot
455Average
125Very Fast
CTier

Ground and Ghost moves don't affect Swellow at all — that's the advantage of Normal/Flying typing. It comfortably outruns most offensive threats. Comfortably outruns most offensive threats. Known as the Swallow Pokemon.

The stat budget goes to damage. Speed and Attack carry the offense, Sp. Def doesn't even come close. A Swallow Pokemon on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve, worth 2 Speed EVs per KO.

Base Stats
455Above
HP60
C
Attack85
C
Defense60
C
Sp. Atk75
C
Sp. Def50
D
Speed125
A
Total455
Low <60
Avg 60-89
High 90-149
Top 150+
EV YieldDefeating Swellow yields +2 Spe
HPAtkDefSpASpDSpe+2
Details
Catch45ChallengingMedium Slow1.06M XP0.7m / 2'04"19.8kg / 43.7 lbs159Base XP
Pokedex Entries

It circles the sky in search of prey and dives sharply to catch its target.

Brilliant Diamond / Shining Pearl

Swellow Weakness

Good

Electric, Ice, and Rock-type moves hit Swellow for super-effective damage. The upside? Ground and Ghost-type moves can't touch it at all. At base 125 Speed, Swellow outspeeds most threats and doesn't need to tank what it can outrun.

4xCriticali
None
½xResisti
¼xResisti
None
0xImmunei
3Weak
2Resist
2Immune
Scorei+2
Stealth Rock25% on switch
Abilities
GutsIncreases Attack to 1.5× with a major status ailment.
ScrappyHALets the Pokémon's normal and fighting moves hit ghost Pokémon.

Evolved from Taillow. Swellow is the final form in this two-stage line. No compatible partners for breeding via one egg group. Eggs are quick to hatch. Sp.Atk grew the most through evolution (+45 over Taillow), and Swellow peaks at 455 total stats.

How to Evolve

2 Forms
Stat Comparison 2 Stages
Taillow
NormalFlying
Swellow
NormalFlying
HP
40
60+20
ATK
55
85+30
DEF
30
60+30
SP.ATK
30
75+45
SP.DEF
30
50+20
SPE
85
125+40
BST
270D-Tier
455C-Tier+185
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
TYPE
Physical
Mixed
Breeding
Very Easy

Breed with Swellow to get Taillow eggs easily from the Flying egg group. Notable egg moves include Boomburst, Brave Bird, Defog and 10 more.

Egg Groups
Flying
Gender
50.0%50.0%
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
13moves

The build revolves around U-turn for safe pivoting. Guts and Flame Orb support Swellow's hit-and-run approach, with max Attack and Speed EVs making sure each pivot actually threatens. The remaining moves adds versatility.

Best Build

Physical Sweeper
Ability
Guts
Item
Flame Orb
Nature
Jolly+SPE
EVs

Best Swellow Moveset

  • FacadeSTAB
  • Brave BirdSTAB
  • ProtectFAST +4
  • U Turn

Recommended Teammates

Without breeding, Swellow misses out on Boomburst and Brave Bird. That's 13 egg moves adding depth that the base kit lacks. STAB comes from Giga Impact and Hyper Beam, with coverage across 8 types rounding things out.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Air Slash
759515Flying
Lv 1
Brave Bird
12010015Flying
Lv 1
Focus Energy
30Normal
Lv 1
Growl
10040Normal
Lv 1
Peck
3510035Flying
Lv 1
Pluck
6010020Flying
Lv 1
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 5
Focus Energy
30Normal
Lv 9
Quick Attack+1
4010030Normal
Lv 13
Wing Attack
6010035Flying
Lv 17
Double Team
15Normal
Lv 21
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
Lv 27
Quick Guard+3
15Fighting
Lv 33
Agility
30Psychic
Lv 39
Air Slash
759515Flying
Lv 45
Endeavor
1005Normal
Lv 51
Brave Bird
12010015Flying
Lv 57
Reversal
10015Fighting

TM Moves

Src
TM40
Aerial Ace
6020Flying
TM45
Attract
10015Normal
TM100
Confide
20Normal
TM32
Double Team
15Normal
TM49
Echoed Voice
4010015Normal
TM42
Facade
7010020Normal
TM76
Fly
909515Flying
TM21
Frustration
10020Normal
TM68
Giga Impact
150905Normal
TM10
Hidden Power
6010015Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
150905Normal
TM17
Protect+4
10Normal
TM18
Rain Dance
5Water
TM44
Rest
10Psychic
TM27
Return
10020Normal
TM19
Roost
10Flying
TM48
Round
6010015Normal
TM88
Sleep Talk
10Normal
TM51
Steel Wing
709025Steel
TM90
Substitute
10Normal
TM11
Sunny Day
5Fire
TM87
Swagger
8515Normal
TM46
Thief
6010025Dark
TM06
Toxic
9010Poison
TM89
U-turn
7010020Bug
TM01
Work Up
30Normal

Egg Moves

Src
Egg
Boomburst
14010010Normal
Egg
Brave Bird
12010015Flying
Egg
Defog
15Flying
Egg
Hurricane
1107010Flying
Egg
Mirror Move
20Flying
Egg
Pursuit
4010020Dark
Egg
Rage
2010020Normal
Egg
Refresh
20Normal
Egg
Roost
10Flying
Egg
Sky Attack
200905Flying
Egg
Steel Wing
709025Steel
Egg
Supersonic
5520Normal
Egg
Whirlwind-6
20Normal

Tutor Moves

Src
Tutor
Defog
15Flying
Tutor
Endeavor
1005Normal
Tutor
Heat Wave
959010Fire
Tutor
Laser Focus
30Normal
Tutor
Sky Attack
200905Flying
Tutor
Snore
5010015Normal
Tutor
Tailwind
15Flying

Transfer Moves

Src
Gen 4
Air Cutter
609525Flying
Gen 4
Captivate
10020Normal
Gen 3
Counter-5
10020Fighting
Gen 3
Double-Edge
12010015Normal
Gen 4
Endure+4
10Normal
Gen 3
Mimic
10Normal
Gen 4
Mud-Slap
2010010Ground
Gen 4
Natural Gift
10015Normal
Gen 4
Ominous Wind
601005Ghost
Gen 6
Secret Power
7010020Normal
Gen 4
Swift
6020Normal
Gen 4
Twister
4010020Dragon

Swellow waits at a fixed spot in this game. Head to Ultra Space Wilds for a one-time encounter. No random spawns or encounter rates involved — it's a set battle at a known location.

How to Obtain Swellow in Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon

  1. Taillow
    Step 1Obtain Taillow
  2. Swellow
    Step 2Swellow
    Ultra Space Wilds - Cliff
    Ultra SunInteract with PokemonLv.60PostDistortion
    Ultra Space Wilds - Cliff
    Ultra MoonInteract with PokemonLv.60PostDistortion
    or evolve from Taillow (Step 1)
  • We rate Swellow C-Tier — a situational pick that fills a niche. At 455 BST, it fits the pivot role. Base 125 Speed stands out.

  • Watch for Raikou (Electric), Walrein (Ice), and Golem (Rock) when using Swellow. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Swellow's base 125 Speed lets it outpace many threats and strike first, which matters more than trying to tank hits.

  • Taillow evolves into Swellow at level 22. Swellow is the fully evolved form. It sits at 455 BST in its evolved form.

  • Guts increases Attack to 1.5× with a major status ailment — that's the one you want on Swellow. Scrappy is the hidden ability. Niche, but it has its uses.

  • Base 125 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Swellow is a mixed attacker — base 85 Attack and 75 Sp. Atk. Best used as a pivot.

  • Swellow appears in 13 games, including Ruby & Sapphire, FireRed & LeafGreen, and Emerald.

Available in 13 titles since its debut in Ruby & Sapphire, Swellow spans 7 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through wild encounters in a solid number of games.