What does Hoothoot evolve into?

Get Hoothoot to Noctowl at level 20. At 262 BST, Hoothoot is just the starting point.

At what level does Hoothoot evolve?

Level 20 gets you Noctowl . Quick enough that Hoothoot barely slows you down.

Should I use Hoothoot?

For Sword & Shield, you can run Hoothoot through the first few routes without issues. 262 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Noctowl as fast as you can.

Where can you catch Hoothoot?

You can find Hoothoot in Sword & Shield. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 16 other games across the series.

Hoothoot - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Utility

Balanced

DTier

50Speed · Slow

Stats & Training

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

Below

HP60

Attack30

Defense30

Sp. Atk36

Sp. Def56

Speed50

Total262

Details

Catch Rate

Guaranteed255 / 255

Growth Rate

Medium Fast1M XP

Height0.7 m

Weight21.2 kg

Base XP52

Abilities

Insomnia

Prevents sleep.

Keen Eye

Prevents accuracy from being lowered.

Tinted LensHA

Doubles damage inflicted with not-very-effective moves.

EV Yield

HP+1AtkDefSpASpDSpe

HP training source

Pokedex Entries

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

Hoothoot Weakness

Hoothoot's Normal/Flying typing leaves it vulnerable to Electric, Ice, and Rock. 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.

Hoothoot Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
2x (Weak)	Electric, Ice, Rock
0.5x (Resist)	Grass, Bug
0x (Immune)	Ground, Ghost

Type ChartGood

3Weak

2Resist

2Immune

Score+2

4xCritical

None

2xWeak

Electric Ice Rock

½xResist

Grass Bug

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

Ground Ghost

STAB (3)

Grass Fighting Bug

How to Beat Hoothoot in Sword & Shield (Best Counters)

Shuckle BugRock	B
Available Moves Moves Rock ThrowLv. 15 RolloutLv. 5 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Throw 2x 29-35% Rollout 2x 19-23% Rock Blast 2x 16-19% View Shuckle builds →
Sudowoodo Rock	C
Available Moves Moves Stone EdgeLv. 1 Rock TombLv. 20 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Stone Edge 2x 188-222%KO Rock Tomb 2x 116-136%KO Rock Throw 2x 95-113%KO Rock Blast 2x 49-58% View Sudowoodo builds →
Onix RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideLv. 20 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Smack DownLv. 4 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Slide 2x 79-94% Rock Throw 2x 56-66% Smack Down 2x 56-66% Rock Blast 2x 29-35% View Onix builds →
Dwebble BugRock	D
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideLv. 24 Smack DownLv. 8 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Slide 2x 103-121%KO Smack Down 2x 69-82% Rock Blast 2x 36-43% View Dwebble builds →
Binacle RockWater	D
Available Moves Moves Ancient PowerLv. 20 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Ancient Power 2x 43-51% Rock Blast 2x 32-39% View Binacle builds →

Sword & Shield Evolution

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. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Forms

#163Hoothoot

Level 20

#164Noctowl

Stat Comparison 2 Stages

Hoothoot

NormalFlying

Noctowl

NormalFlying

100+40

ATK

50+20

DEF

50+20

SP.ATK

86+50

SP.DEF

96+40

SPE

70+20

BST

262D-Tier

452C-Tier+190

ROLE

Balanced

TYPE

Utility

Special

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed Hoothoot easily with 42 breeding partners from the Flying egg group. Pass egg moves like Defog, Feather Dance, Night Shade and 3 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

6moves

Breed With (best first)

Sword & Shield Hoothoot Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 8.

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

Moves

You'll want to breed for Defog and Feather Dance on Hoothoot. These egg moves aren't just nice to have. Combined with STAB from Hurricane and Take Down, they expand what Hoothoot can actually threaten in practice.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Growl

——10040Normal

Lv 1

Peck

—3510035Flying

Lv 3

Tackle

D4010035Normal

Lv 6

Echoed Voice

D4010015Normal

Lv 9

Confusion

—5010025Psychic

Lv 12

Reflect

C——20Psychic

Lv 15

Psycho Shift

D—10010Psychic

Lv 18

Air Slash

D759515Flying

Lv 21

Extrasensory

D8010020Psychic

Lv 24

Take Down

D908520Normal

Lv 27

Uproar

D9010010Normal

Lv 30

Roost

C——10Flying

Lv 33

Moonblast

D9510015Fairy

Lv 36

Hypnosis

C—6020Psychic

Lv 39

Dream Eater

D10010015Psychic

TM Moves

TR12

Agility

C——30Psychic

TM95

Air Slash

D759515Flying

TR17

Amnesia

C——20Psychic

TM31

Attract

C—10015Normal

TR49

Calm Mind

C——20Psychic

TR26

Endure+4

C——10Normal

TM39

Facade

D7010020Normal

TM06

Fly

D909515Flying

TR36

Heat Wave

D959010Fire

TR89

Hurricane

D1107010Flying

TR42

Hyper Voice

D9010010Normal

TM44

Imprison

D——10Psychic

TR68

Nasty Plot

C——20Dark

TM25

Protect+4

C——10Normal

TR11

Psychic

D9010010Psychic

TM33

Rain Dance

C——5Water

TM18

Reflect

C——20Psychic

TM21

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM76

Round

D6010015Normal

TM16

Screech

D—8540Normal

TR33

Shadow Ball

D8010015Ghost

TR27

Sleep Talk

C——10Normal

TM24

Snore

—5010015Normal

TM30

Steel Wing

D709025Steel

TR82

Stored Power

D2010010Psychic

TR20

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM34

Sunny Day

C——5Fire

TM40

Swift

D60—20Normal

TM23

Thief

D6010025Dark

TR35

Uproar

D9010010Normal

TR85

Work Up

D——30Normal

TR69

Zen Headbutt

D809015Psychic

Egg Moves

Egg

Defog

C——15Flying

Egg

Feather Dance

D—10015Flying

Egg

Night Shade

D—10015Ghost

Egg

Supersonic

D—5520Normal

Egg

Whirlwind-6

D——20Normal

Egg

Wing Attack

—6010035Flying

Tutor Moves

Tut

Tutor

Dual Wingbeat

D409010Flying

Sword & Shield Hoothoot Locations

Hoothoot is available from early-game routes onward at decent spawn rates. 32 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.

Best Locations to Catch Hoothoot in Sword & Shield

Hoothoot's encounter pool splits between Shield and Sword. You've got 32 walking spots at Lv. 2-30 total, but your version determines which ones actually show up.

Dappled Grove

ShieldOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest

28%Early

Overcast

Dappled Grove

SwordOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest

28%Early

Overcast

Dappled Grove

ShieldOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest

25%Early

Normal Weather

Dappled Grove

SwordOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest

25%Early

Normal Weather

Slumbering Weald

SwordGrass Lv.2-3 Forest

15%Early

All Weather

Slumbering Weald

ShieldGrass Lv.2-3 Forest

15%Early

All Weather

Dappled Grove

SwordOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest

10%Early

Snowing

Dappled Grove

SwordOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest

10%Early

Sandstorm

Dappled Grove

SwordOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest

10%Early

Heavy Fog

Dappled Grove

ShieldOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest

10%Early

Snowing

Dappled Grove

ShieldOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest

10%Early

Sandstorm

Dappled Grove

ShieldOverworld Lv.13-15 Forest

10%Early

Heavy Fog

Route 1

SwordGrass Lv.2-5 Route

5%Early

All Weather

Route 1

ShieldGrass Lv.2-5 Route

5%Early

All Weather

Route 2

SwordGrass Lv.4-6 Route

5%Early

All Weather

Route 2

ShieldGrass Lv.4-6 Route

5%Early

All Weather

Giant's Cap - 2

SwordOverworld Lv.28-30

10%Mid

Normal Weather

Giant's Cap - 2

ShieldOverworld Lv.28-30

10%Mid

Sandstorm

Giant's Cap - 2

ShieldOverworld Lv.28-30

10%Mid

Raining

Giant's Cap - 2

ShieldOverworld Lv.28-30

10%Mid

Normal Weather

Giant's Cap - 2

SwordOverworld Lv.28-30

10%Mid

Sandstorm

Giant's Cap - 2

SwordOverworld Lv.28-30

10%Mid

Raining

Giant's Cap - 2

SwordOverworld Lv.28-30

5%Mid

Overcast

Giant's Cap - 2

ShieldOverworld Lv.28-30

5%Mid

Intense Sun

Giant's Cap - 2

ShieldOverworld Lv.28-30

5%Mid

Snowing

Giant's Cap - 2

ShieldOverworld Lv.28-30

5%Mid

Heavy Fog

Giant's Cap - 2

SwordOverworld Lv.28-30

5%Mid

Thunderstorm

Giant's Cap - 2

ShieldOverworld Lv.28-30

5%Mid

Overcast

Giant's Cap - 2

SwordOverworld Lv.28-30

5%Mid

Intense Sun

Giant's Cap - 2

SwordOverworld Lv.28-30

5%Mid

Snowing

Giant's Cap - 2

SwordOverworld Lv.28-30

5%Mid

Heavy Fog

Giant's Cap - 2

ShieldOverworld Lv.28-30

5%Mid

Thunderstorm

Hoothoot Guide

Get Hoothoot to Noctowl at level 20. At 262 BST, Hoothoot is just the starting point.
Level 20 gets you Noctowl. Quick enough that Hoothoot barely slows you down.
For Sword & Shield, you can run Hoothoot through the first few routes without issues. 262 BST won't carry you far though. Get it to Noctowl as fast as you can.
You can find Hoothoot in Sword & Shield. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 16 other games across the series.

Game Availability

Available in 17 titles since its debut in Gold & Silver, Hoothoot spans 9 generations of Pokemon games. It's accessible through catching or hatching as a base form in most mainline games.

Click a game to view version-specific details

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Want to tell us more?

What was most useful?

About:

What could be improved?

About:

Thanks for your feedback

Shuckle BugRock	B
Available Moves Moves Rock ThrowLv. 15 RolloutLv. 5 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Throw 2x 33-40% Rollout 2x 20-25% Rock Blast 2x 20-25% View Shuckle builds →
Onix RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideLv. 20 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Smack DownLv. 4 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Slide 2x 85-100%KO Rock Throw 2x 58-70% Smack Down 2x 58-70% Rock Blast 2x 33-40% View Onix builds →
Roggenrola Rock	C
Available Moves Moves Smack DownLv. 16 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Smack Down 2x 80-95% Rock Blast 2x 42-50% View Roggenrola builds →
Dwebble BugRock	D
Available Moves Moves Smack DownLv. 8 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Smack Down 2x 75-90% Rock Blast 2x 42-50% View Dwebble builds →
Rolycoly Rock	D
Available Moves Moves Ancient PowerLv. 20 Smack DownLv. 10 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Ancient Power 2x 47-55% Smack Down 2x 55-65% Rock Blast 2x 28-35% View Rolycoly builds →

Shuckle BugRock	B
Available Moves Moves Rock ThrowLv. 15 RolloutLv. 5 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Throw 2x 31-39% Rollout 2x 21-26% Rock Blast 2x 17-21% View Shuckle builds →
Onix RockGround	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideLv. 20 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Smack DownLv. 4 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Slide 2x 83-99% Rock Throw 2x 57-69% Smack Down 2x 57-69% Rock Blast 2x 31-39% View Onix builds →
Roggenrola Rock	C
Available Moves Moves Smack DownLv. 16 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Smack Down 2x 80-94% Rock Blast 2x 43-51% View Roggenrola builds →
Dwebble BugRock	D
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideLv. 24 Smack DownLv. 8 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Slide 2x 104-124%KO Smack Down 2x 73-86% Rock Blast 2x 40-47% View Dwebble builds →
Binacle RockWater	D
Available Moves Moves Ancient PowerLv. 20 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Ancient Power 2x 43-51% Rock Blast 2x 31-39% View Binacle builds →

Lunatone RockPsychic	A
Available Moves Moves Stone EdgeLv. 35 Rock SlideLv. 15 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Stone Edge 2x 124-147%KO Rock Slide 2x 94-111%KO Rock Throw 2x 63-75% Rock Blast 2x 33-39% View Lunatone builds →
Shuckle BugRock	B
Available Moves Moves Rock ThrowLv. 15 RolloutLv. 5 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Throw 2x 28-33% Rollout 2x 17-21% Rock Blast 2x 15-18% View Shuckle builds →
Drednaw WaterRock	C
Available Moves Moves Rock TombLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Tomb 2x 132-156%KO Rock Blast 2x 58-69% View Drednaw builds →
Solrock RockPsychic	C
Available Moves Moves Stone EdgeLv. 35 Rock SlideLv. 15 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Stone Edge 2x 188-222%KO Rock Slide 2x 142-168%KO Rock Throw 2x 96-114%KO Rock Blast 2x 51-60% View Solrock builds →
Sudowoodo Rock	C
Available Moves Moves Stone EdgeLv. 1 Rock SlideLv. 32 Rock TombLv. 20 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Damage vs Hoothoot Stone Edge 2x 198-234%KO Rock Slide 2x 150-177%KO Rock Tomb 2x 119-141%KO Rock Throw 2x 102-120%KO View Sudowoodo builds →

Lunatone RockPsychic	A
Available Moves Moves Stone EdgeLv. 35 Rock SlideLv. 15 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Stone Edge 2x 126-149%KO Rock Slide 2x 94-111%KO Rock Throw 2x 65-77% Rock Blast 2x 33-40% View Lunatone builds →
Shuckle BugRock	B
Available Moves Moves Rock ThrowLv. 15 RolloutLv. 5 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Throw 2x 29-34% Rollout 2x 19-23% Rock Blast 2x 16-20% View Shuckle builds →
Drednaw WaterRock	C
Available Moves Moves Rock TombLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Tomb 2x 135-160%KO Rock Blast 2x 58-69% View Drednaw builds →
Solrock RockPsychic	C
Available Moves Moves Stone EdgeLv. 35 Rock SlideLv. 15 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Stone Edge 2x 189-223%KO Rock Slide 2x 143-169%KO Rock Throw 2x 97-114%KO Rock Blast 2x 50-60% View Solrock builds →
Sudowoodo Rock	C
Available Moves Moves Stone EdgeLv. 1 Rock SlideLv. 32 Rock TombLv. 20 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Damage vs Hoothoot Stone Edge 2x 199-234%KO Rock Slide 2x 150-177%KO Rock Tomb 2x 121-143%KO Rock Throw 2x 102-120%KO View Sudowoodo builds →

Lunatone RockPsychic	A
Available Moves Moves Stone EdgeLv. 35 Rock SlideLv. 15 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Stone Edge 2x 122-143%KO Rock Slide 2x 93-110%KO Rock Throw 2x 62-73% Rock Blast 2x 33-39% View Lunatone builds →
Shuckle BugRock	B
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideLv. 40 Rock ThrowLv. 15 RolloutLv. 5 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Slide 2x 39-47% Rock Throw 2x 26-31% Rollout 2x 17-21% Rock Blast 2x 15-18% View Shuckle builds →
Crustle BugRock	C
Available Moves Moves Rock SlideLv. 24 Smack DownLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Slide 2x 150-177%KO Smack Down 2x 102-120%KO Rock Blast 2x 53-63% View Crustle builds →
Drednaw WaterRock	C
Available Moves Moves Rock TombLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Rock Tomb 2x 130-154%KO Rock Blast 2x 55-65% View Drednaw builds →
Solrock RockPsychic	C
Available Moves Moves Stone EdgeLv. 35 Rock SlideLv. 15 Rock ThrowLv. 1 Rock BlastTM54 Damage vs Hoothoot Stone Edge 2x 183-217%KO Rock Slide 2x 137-162%KO Rock Throw 2x 93-110%KO Rock Blast 2x 49-57% View Solrock builds →

Tyranitar RockDark	A
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemChoice Band NatureAdamant Moves CrunchSTAB Stone Edge Earthquake Stealth Rock Damage vs Hoothoot Crunch 207-244%KO Stone Edge 2x 518-609%KO View Tyranitar builds →
Regieleki Electric	A
Recommended Build AbilityTransistor ItemMagnet NatureTimid Moves Volt Switch ProtectPriority ElectrowebSTAB ThunderboltSTAB Damage vs Hoothoot Volt Switch 2x 117-138%KO Electroweb 2x 93-109%KO Thunderbolt 2x 150-177%KO View Regieleki builds →
Mamoswine IceGround	B
Recommended Build AbilityThickfat ItemLife Orb NatureJolly Moves EarthquakeSTAB Icicle Crash Ice Shard Knock Off Damage vs Hoothoot Ice Shard 2x 161-190%KO Knock Off 87-102%KO View Mamoswine builds →
Rhyperior GroundRock	B
Recommended Build AbilitySolidrock ItemRocky Helmet NatureRelaxed Moves EarthquakeSTAB Stone Edge Ice Punch Stealth Rock Damage vs Hoothoot Stone Edge 2x 272-321%KO View Rhyperior builds →