Swampwatcher

Swampwatcher

Potamarcha congener

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Kolkata

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

47 Verified sightings at Kolkata
50 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Swampwatcher

Potamarcha congener is also known as the yellow-tailed ashy skimmer, common chaser, or swampwatcher. It is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae, and was first described by Jules Pierre Rambur in 1842, almost fifty years before Ferdinand Karsch described its genus. Potamarcha congener is one of two species making up the genus Potamarcha, together with Potamarcha puella.

Potamarcha congener is common through much of its range, which stretches through parts of South Asia, South-East Asia, and Oceania, including in countries such as India, Indonesia, China, Australia, and Vietnam. Owing to its wide distribution, the species has been classified as Least Concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Potamarcha congener is a medium-sized dragonfly with a bluish black thorax and yellow tail with black markings. Face is olivaceous yellow to steel black or brown. Eyes are reddish brown above and bluish grey below. In male adults, the thorax and first four segments of the abdomen are covered with bluish pruinescence. In young adults, yellow markings are visible through the pruinescence. The rest of the abdomen is... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Mudumalai National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
2 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
3 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~10%
4 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
5 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yogyakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
2 Raipur 🇮🇳 India
~30%
3 Nagpur 🇮🇳 India
~20%
4 Dhaka 🇧🇩 Bangladesh
~20%
5 Jakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%
6 Kolkata 🇮🇳 India
~20%
7 Hyderabad 🇮🇳 India
~10%
8 Prayagraj 🇮🇳 India
~10%
9 Denpasar 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
10 Tasikmalaya 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Swampwatcher in Kolkata?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Swampwatcher sighting in Kolkata on a given day, based on 47 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 51st most-seen of the 213 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 a Swampwatcher in Kolkata?

June and October

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Swampwatcher in Kolkata on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, the lowest months. Those are among Kolkata's wettest months, with about 190 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a Swampwatcher?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Swampwatcher sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Kolkata the best place to see a Swampwatcher?

6th of 28

Of the 28 cities where we can rate Swampwatcher sightings, Kolkata ranks 6th at about 20%. The best odds are in Yogyakarta (Indonesia, about 40%), Raipur (India, about 30%) and Nagpur (India, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Swampwatcher live in Kolkata?

Same family: Libellulidae

The closest relatives of the Swampwatcher that you can see in Kolkata (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Scarlet Skimmer (about 40%), Ditch Jewel (about 40%) and Pied Paddy Skimmer (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Swampwatcher sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Swampwatcher is recorded against all the insects logged in Kolkata (47 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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