Sympetrum vulgatum
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The vagrant darter, or moustached darter, (Sympetrum vulgatum) is a European dragonfly. The species takes its English name from its habit of occasionally appearing as a rare vagrant north of its normal range. However, it is likely to be under-recorded because it is very similar to the common darter (S. striolatum).
The species is common in central and northeast Europe. It breeds in standing water. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 2 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 2 | Astana | 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan | |
| 3 | Warsaw | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 5 | Moscow | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 6 | Saint Petersburg | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Stockholm | 🇸🇪 Sweden | |
| 8 | Kazan | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 9 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 10 | Nizhny Novgorod | 🇷🇺 Russia |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Vagrant Darter sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 15 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 377th most-seen of the 1115 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Vagrant Darter in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in November to June, the lowest months.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Vagrant Darter sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Vagrant Darter sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 20%).
Same genus: Sympetrum
The closest relatives of the Vagrant Darter that you can see in Bavarian Forest National Park (genus Sympetrum, Meadowhawks) are Black Meadowhawk (about 10%), Ruddy Darter (about 10%) and Common Darter (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Vagrant Darter is recorded against all the insects logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (15 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.
