Black-Tailed Skimmer

Black-Tailed Skimmer

Orthetrum cancellatum

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Cévennes National Park

In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%

20 Verified sightings at Cévennes National Park From 2019 to 2026
257 In all 12 parks
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Black-Tailed Skimmer

The black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) is a dragonfly belonging to the family Libellulidae. This species is widespread in Europe and Asia. It is found throughout the European continent including the Mediterranean islands but is absent in the far north of Britain and the northern half of Fennoscandia. This is one of the most common European species and it is still increasing its range northwards. To the east, the range extends over central Asia to Kashmir, Mongolia to the northern parts of China and Arunachal Pradesh in India.

It is present in Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (Corsica, and mainland), Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey (including Turkey-in-Europe), Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~30%
2 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
3 Plitvice Lakes National Park 🇭🇷 Croatia
~20%
4 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
5 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
6 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
7 Aigüestortes National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
8 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
9 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
10 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
11 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
12 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Brussels 🇧🇪 Belgium
~20%
2 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%
3 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~20%
4 Rostov-on-Don 🇷🇺 Russia
~20%
5 Turin 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%
6 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~20%
7 Barcelona 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
8 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
9 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~10%
10 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Black-Tailed Skimmer in Cévennes National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Tailed Skimmer sighting in Cévennes National Park on a given day, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 555th most-seen of the 996 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.

When is the best time to see a Black-Tailed Skimmer in Cévennes National Park?

July and August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Tailed Skimmer in Cévennes National Park on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months. Those are among Cévennes National Park's driest months, with about 45 mm of rain a month against 260 mm in October.

What time of day is best to see a Black-Tailed Skimmer?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-Tailed Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Cévennes National Park the best place to see a Black-Tailed Skimmer?

9th of 12

Of the 12 parks where we can rate Black-Tailed Skimmer sightings, Cévennes National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Camargue (France, about 30%), Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 30%) and Plitvice Lakes National Park (Croatia, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Black-Tailed Skimmer live in Cévennes National Park?

Same genus: Orthetrum

The closest relatives of the Black-Tailed Skimmer that you can see in Cévennes National Park (genus Orthetrum) are Keeled Skimmer (about 20%) and Southern Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Black-Tailed Skimmer sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Black-Tailed Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Cévennes National Park (20 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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