And dont say thunderbird cuz thats not a real bird. I wanna know what realistic type of bird he is
Zapdos doesn't seem to be based on one particular type of bird. It just appears to be a bird in general. If I had to categorize it, then I would place it as a mix of a type of Falcon and some sort of sparrow like creature.
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Zapdos has the form of a large bird with black and yellow plumage. Its spiky feathers make it appear to be made of lightning. Its tail feathers stick out in several directions, furthering this illusion. A large crest of feathers decorates its head, and distinctive black rings encircle its eyes. Its beak is very long and thin. While Zapdos is the smallest and lightest of the legendary birds, it is still a large Pokémon.
Description by Bulbepedia. Hope I helped xD [1]: https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRtaSAP8THkGsYM5p04A8PHRFdGNgvaGhCTEOnJmYN3pqcclvi5 [2]: https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS3IHCCH-SvNrW2otolrn9L0gJ2WYR6-5HouANAoUXzE31aFtLmBg [3]: https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR-8P7YS6wC4pwqNj0whHVNI4eW_9Jr2huTrWuWnxoBuOjfOVgZTmaxeHiA
It's not actually a real bird. It's just a yellow and black bird that sumons summer thunderstorms. Moltres is a Phoenix. While Articuno is just a normal huge bird with icicles coming off it's wings posing as a winter blizzard bringer. So Zapdos is not actually a type of bird, just a creation by Game Freak :3
The Pokemon Zapdos is based off the mythological 'Thunderbird' as the Pokemon Moltres is based off not a Phoenix, as Ho-Oh is, but a 'Firebird' from mythology. Articuno was created to complete the color triad of Red/Blue/Yellow, and I don't believe is based on a mythological bird of ice. Besides Articuno, Lugia is just a creation of GameFreak's imagination/creativity.