Swablu is an avian Pokémon with a round, blue body. Since it has no discernible neck, its body appears to be all head. There are two long feathers on top of its head, and it has a short, rounded white beak and beady, black eyes. Its wings are fluffy and white, resembling cotton or clouds. It has tiny, white feet and two pointed tail feathers.
Swablu does not like dirty surroundings, so it cleans things with its cottony wings. It uses streams and freshwater springs to wash its wings when they become dirty from polishing. It is commonly found living in flocks in forested habitats, but often flies closer to towns during the spring. Swablu is very friendly and largely unafraid of humans. As a result, it frequently perches on people's heads like a fluffy hat.
In the main series
Major appearances
Swablu's first major role was in True Blue Swablu. A Swablu got separated from its flock when the tree its flock was nesting in was struck by lightning. May helped to care for Swablu, who had injured its wing, but the Pokémon was suddenly afraid to fly. After the wing was healed, it took Ash and his friends some time to help Swablu get the courage to fly again. At the end of the episode, Swablu was re-united with its flock.
A Swablu has also appeared in That's Just Swellow under the ownership of Shane. It participated in the PokéRinger competition, but lost to James and Dustox.
Minor appearances
Swablu made its debut appearance in Jirachi: Wish Maker.
A Swablu also appeared in Clamperl of Wisdom.
Multiple Swablu appeared in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew living in the Tree of Beginning.
A group of Swablu, Sentret, Furret, Altaria and Shroomish helped Pokémon Ranger Jack Walker when he was a young boy in a blizzard as seen in a flashback in Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of Sea.
Multiple Swablu appeared in a brief cameo in Destiny Deoxys and Giratina and the Sky Warrior.
A Swablu appeared in Pursuing a Lofty Goal! as one of the participants of the Squallville PokéRinger.
Several Swablu appeared in The Lonely Snover!.
A Swablu made a brief appearance in Coming Full-Festival Circle!.
Multiple Swablu appeared in Butterfree and Me!.
A Swablu appeared in SS027.
A Swablu appeared in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin!.
A Swablu appeared in Grooming Furfrou!.
A Trainer's Swablu appeared in Summer of Discovery!, Foggy Pokémon Orienteering! and Battling Into the Hall of Fame!.
A Trainer's Swablu appeared in Confronting the Darkness!.
Multiple Swablu appeared in the Hoopa's Surprise Ring Adventures short Flying in the Air.
A Swablu appeared in A Fashionable Battle!.
A Trainer's Swablu appeared in A Performance Pop Quiz!.
Pokédex entries
| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| AG064
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Swablu
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Ash's Pokédex
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Swablu, the Cotton Bird Pokémon. Swablu loves cleanliness and is quick to wipe off any unclean surface with its cotton-like wings.
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In Pokémon Generations
Two wild Swablu appeared in The Cavern, where they were flying away from a storm which a Primal Kyogre was creating.
Origin
Swablu is based on a bluebird combined with cotton or a cloud. It also shares traits more specifically with the ultramarine lorikeet. Behaviorally, it is similar to the grey jay in that they are both given to sitting on people's heads.
Name origin
Swablu may be a combination of swab (referring to its cotton swab-like wings) and blue. Swa may also derive from swallow, a type of bird.
Tyltto may refer to Tyl—also known as Epsilon Draconis—a star in the constellation Draco, the Dragon. It may also be a reference to the play L'Oiseau Bleu (The Blue Bird) by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck. The story is about two siblings, Mytyl and Tyltyl (ミチル Michiru and チルチル Chiruchiru in the Japanese translation of the play), who are tasked with finding the "blue bird of happiness."
For other sprites and images, please see Swablu images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
