Violet Dropwing

Violet Dropwing

Trithemis annulata

Daily sighting probability ~60% · Likely
at Awash National Park

In 3 days ~90% in a week >90%

8 Verified sightings at Awash National Park From 2019 to 2026
991 In all 19 parks
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Violet Dropwing

Trithemis annulata, commonly known as the violet dropwing, violet-marked darter, purple-blushed darter, or plum-coloured dropwing, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in most of Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe. These dragonflies are called dropwings because of their habit of immediately lowering their wings after landing on a perch. Males of this species are violet-red with red veins in the wings, while females are yellow and brown. Both sexes have red eyes. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~60%
2 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
3 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~40%
4 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~40%
5 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~40%
6 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
7 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~30%
8 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
9 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
10 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
11 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
12 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
13 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
14 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
15 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
16 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
17 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
18 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
19 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Dammam 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
~50%
2 Antalya 🇹🇷 Turkey
~40%
3 Ouagadougou 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
~40%
4 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
5 Luxor 🇪🇬 Egypt
~30%
6 Tel Aviv 🇮🇱 Israel
~30%
7 Algiers 🇩🇿 Algeria
~20%
8 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%
9 Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
~20%
10 Naples 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Violet Dropwing in Awash National Park?

Likely

About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Dropwing sighting in Awash National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 90%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Violet Dropwing in Awash National Park?

October

In that month about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Dropwing in Awash National Park on a given day, against about 20% in January and February, the lowest months. April–June and August have too few records to rate.

What time of day is best to see a Violet Dropwing?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Violet Dropwing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Awash National Park the best place to see a Violet Dropwing?

Yes

Of the 19 parks where we can rate Violet Dropwing sightings, Awash National Park has the highest daily chance: about 60%. Next come Meru National Park (Kenya, about 40%) and Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 40%). All parks ranked.

Where does the Violet Dropwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Violet Dropwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Awash National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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