Orthetrum cancellatum
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 4 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 7 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Tailed Skimmer sighting in Essen on a given day, based on 46 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 68th most-seen of the 434 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June to August
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Tailed Skimmer in Essen on a given day, against under 5% in September to May, the lowest months.
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.
26th of 42
Of the 42 cities where we can rate Black-Tailed Skimmer sightings, Essen ranks 26th at about 10%. The best odds are in Brussels (Belgium, about 20%), Milan (Italy, about 20%) and Kyiv (Ukraine, about 20%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Black-Tailed Skimmer that you can see in Essen (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Common Darter (about 10%), Broad-Bodied Chaser (about 10%) and Four-Spotted Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-Tailed Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Essen (46 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.
