Trithemis kirbyi
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
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 →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berenty Reserve | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 7 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 9 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 12 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 13 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 14 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 15 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Winged Dropwing sighting in Harare on a given day, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 3rd most-seen of the 93 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April and May
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Winged Dropwing in Harare on a given day, against under 5% in July–August and October, the lowest months. Those are among Harare's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 200 mm in December.
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.
3rd of 14
Of the 14 cities where we can rate Orange-Winged Dropwing sightings, Harare ranks 3rd at about 20%. The best odds are in Lusaka (Zambia, about 30%) and Marrakesh (Morocco, about 20%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Orange-Winged Dropwing that you can see in Harare (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Wandering Glider (about 10%), Broad Scarlet (about 10%) and Southern Banded Groundling (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orange-Winged Dropwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Harare (22 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.
