Rufous Marsh Glider

Rufous Marsh Glider

Rhodothemis rufa

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

23 Verified sightings at Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]
56 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
March Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Rufous Marsh Glider

Rhodothemis rufa, the spine–legged redbolt, rufous marsh glider, or common redbolt, ( is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is widespread in many Asian countries. It is a medium-sized dragonfly with red eyes, thorax and abdomen. But young males and females have a mid-dorsal citron-yellow stripe in the pro-thorax and a citron-yellow stripe on mid-dorsum of the abdominal segments. These marks get obscured by pruinescence in adult males. Color of female is brown. It breeds in open ponds, marshes and lakes.

List of odonates of Sri Lanka List of odonates of India List of odonata of Kerala rufa.html World Dragonflies Animal diversity web Query Results Sri Lanka Biodiversity Rhodothemis rufa of Borneo Island Data related to Rhodothemis rufa at Wikispecies

Media related to Rhodothemis rufa at Wikimedia Commons Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
2 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
3 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yogyakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
2 Thiruvananthapuram 🇮🇳 India
~20%
3 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~20%
4 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
~20%
5 Kolkata 🇮🇳 India
~20%
6 Mysuru 🇮🇳 India
~20%
7 Dhaka 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~20%
8 Ponnani 🇮🇳 India
~20%
9 Kozhikode 🇮🇳 India
~10%
10 Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Rufous Marsh Glider in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Marsh Glider sighting in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 67th most-seen of the 182 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Rufous Marsh Glider in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

February–March and August

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Rufous Marsh Glider in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, against under 5% in November, the lowest month. Those are among Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]'s driest months, with about 100 mm of rain a month against 310 mm in November.

What time of day is best to see a Rufous Marsh Glider?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Rufous Marsh Glider 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 Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] the best place to see a Rufous Marsh Glider?

11th of 19

Of the 19 cities where we can rate Rufous Marsh Glider sightings, Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] ranks 11th at about 10%. The best odds are in Yogyakarta (Indonesia, about 20%), Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 20%) and Thrissur (India, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Rufous Marsh Glider live in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]?

Same family: Libellulidae

The closest relatives of the Rufous Marsh Glider that you can see in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Pied Paddy Skimmer (about 40%), Common Picture Wing (about 30%) and Ditch Jewel (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Rufous Marsh Glider sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Rufous Marsh Glider is recorded against all the insects logged in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (23 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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