Ischnura elegans
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The blue-tailed damselfly or common bluetail (Ischnura elegans) is a damselfly, belonging to the family Coenagrionidae. Ischnura elegans pontica Schmidt, 1939 Ischnura elegans f. infuscans Ischnura elegans f. infuscans-obsoleta Ischnura elegans f. rufescens Ischnura elegans f. typica Ischnura elegans f. violacea This species is present in most of Europe and the Middle East. It is a common species.
These damselflies can be found in a wide range of lowland environments, with standing and slow flowing waters, brackish and polluted water. Ischnura elegans can reach a body length of 27–35 millimetres (1.1–1.4 in) and a wingspan of about 35 millimetres (1.4 in). Hindwings reach a length of 14–20 millimetres (0.55–0.79 in). Adult male blue-tailed damselflies have a head and thorax patterned with blue and black. There is a bi-coloured pterostigma on the front wings. Eyes are blue. They have a largely black abdomen with very narrow pale markings where each segment joins the next. Segment eight... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 7 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 11 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antalya | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 2 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 3 | Milan | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 4 | Rostov-on-Don | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 6 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Jerusalem | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 8 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Tailed Damselfly sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 133rd most-seen of the 300 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Tailed Damselfly in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August to April, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-Tailed Damselfly sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 12
Of the 12 parks where we can rate Blue-Tailed Damselfly sightings, Cairngorms National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 40%), Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 40%) and Camargue (France, about 30%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Coenagrionidae
The closest relatives of the Blue-Tailed Damselfly that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Coenagrionidae, Narrow-winged Damselflies) are Large Red Damselfly (about 30%), Common Blue Damselfly (about 30%) and Spearhead Bluet (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue-Tailed Damselfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Cairngorms National Park (13 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.
