Pidgey Report

Pidgey (the Tiny Bird Pokémon) is a common Normal/Flying-type Pokémon found among grassy fields and forests within the Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh and Kalos regions as well as parts of the Sevii Islands and the Hoenn, Unova and Alola regions on rare occasions. Though relatively weak and easily hurt by enemy attacks, Pidgey are quick-moving birds that can efficiently distract opponents their size or smaller with a blinding Sand-Attack technique before striking with more powerful moves in defense.  They might only be useful in the hands of beginning trainers, but in time, these little birds can easily be made in decent fighters; just make sure to keep them away from opponents that are otherwise unaffected by Accuracy-lowering moves, or you'll lose their best form of defense right from the start!

Pidgey are quite similar to several different types of birds in terms of both anatomy and behavior, so it is difficult to class them alongside any relatives. Nonetheless, it seems that Pidgey share a considerable amount in common with two particular types of bird, namely ospreys and homing pigeons. Like ospreys, Pidgey will eventually only hunt fish once they completely grow up into Pidgeot, but at the moment their small body size prevents that from being much of a possibility; instead, Pidgey and Pidgeotto mainly stick to small insects and Bug-type Pokémon. On that same note, Pidgey share with homing pigeons the ability to readily discern where they are at any moment and travel straight back to their nest regardless of how far away they might have flown. This tends to be quite useful when Pidgey begin swarming within thick forests in search of emerging insect prey at the beginning of spring, as they otherwise would generally be unable to find their way back out (and nesting within the forest is rarely ever a wise move, particularly if there are no local Pidgeotto or Pidgeot in the area to offer protection).

Despite how imposing their evolved forms may appear, Pidgey are actually quite docile and prefer not to fight unless it is a matter of life and death; as such, it is difficult to find these creatures out in the open, as they almost always keep themselves hidden within trees or among tall grass. If threatened by a predator or opponent in the wild, though, Pidgey will use their small but powerful wings to whip up a huge cloud of dust before blowing it straight into the opposition's face; aside from being relatively difficult to avoid if one's eyes are not closed, this makeshift Sand-Attack technique can cause others to temporarily choke on their own air, granting Pidgey more than enough time to escape. Interestingly enough, this cloud of dust has enough power behind it to actually dislodge small insects from surrounding blades of grass or force them out into the open for the sake of finding breathable air, making it an ideal technique for Pidgey that are hunting in the wild. If they cannot distract the opposition, Pidgey will use what little body strength they have to deliver powerful Tackle attacks at close range or, if they have the luxury of room and a little bit of battle experience, strike from afar with decently-strong Gust attacks. Once Pidgey grow old enough, their wing strength will eventually develop to the point where they can actually utilize a Whirlwind technique in battle; trainers should take this as a good sign, as it means that their Pidgey is very close to evolution.

Though they might only be fodder to more powerful opponents and are lacking in combat versatility, Pidgey are still great partners for first-time trainers that are just getting the hang of working with Pokémon as close friends. They might not have many bells and whistles to them, but if you patiently raise these little birds, you'll find some considerable favor with their interesting selection of moves in time. Just try not to own more than a few at once if you know what's good for you; they might not be the noisiest birds out there, but considering how much these little critters eat, you might have some trouble cleaning up after them if you decide to own more than a couple at one time!

Professor Wormwood