Orange-Winged Dropwing

Orange-Winged Dropwing

Trithemis kirbyi

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Algiers

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%

16 Verified sightings at Algiers
465 In all 15 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Orange-Winged Dropwing

Trithemis kirbyi, also known as the Kirby's dropwing, orange-winged dropwing, or scarlet rock glider is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi. It is also present in southern Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Ocean Islands and South Asia to India.

Since 2003 this African tropical dragonfly has been colonizing Europe helped by a widespread increase in temperatures. It is now breeding successfully in Spain, Portugal and France. The adult male abdomen measures 21–24 mm and hind wing 24–27 mm. Female abdomen measures 23 mm and hind wing 26–30 mm. The male is a medium-sized scarlet dragonfly with a broad reddish amber patch on the base of transparent wings. The female is similar to the male, but duller in color. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical streams... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Berenty Reserve 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~40%
2 Waterberg Plateau Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~30%
3 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
4 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
5 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
6 Hwange National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
7 Samburu National Reserve 🇰🇪 Kenya
~20%
8 Namib-Naukluft National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~20%
9 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
10 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
11 Nairobi National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
12 Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
13 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
14 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
15 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Lusaka 🇿🇲 Zambia
~30%
2 Marrakesh 🇲🇦 Morocco
~20%
3 Harare 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~20%
4 Algiers 🇩🇿 Algeria
~20%
5 Valencia 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
6 Pretoria 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
7 Johannesburg 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
8 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
~10%
9 Cape Town 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
10 Pune 🇮🇳 India
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing an Orange-Winged Dropwing in Algiers?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Winged Dropwing sighting in Algiers on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 37th most-seen of the 133 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see an Orange-Winged Dropwing in Algiers?

August

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Winged Dropwing in Algiers on a given day, against under 5% in October to April, the lowest months. That is one of Algiers's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 90 mm in November.

What time of day is best to see an Orange-Winged Dropwing?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orange-Winged Dropwing 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 Algiers the best place to see an Orange-Winged Dropwing?

4th of 14

Of the 14 cities where we can rate Orange-Winged Dropwing sightings, Algiers ranks 4th at about 20%. The best odds are in Lusaka (Zambia, about 30%), Marrakesh (Morocco, about 20%) and Harare (Zimbabwe, about 20%).

Where does the Orange-Winged Dropwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Orange-Winged Dropwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Algiers (16 verified sightings), 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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