Ischnura elegans
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
The blue-tailed damselfly or common bluetail (Ischnura elegans) is a damselfly, belonging to the family Coenagrionidae. Ischnura elegans pontica Schmidt, 1939 Ischnura elegans f. infuscans Ischnura elegans f. infuscans-obsoleta Ischnura elegans f. rufescens Ischnura elegans f. typica Ischnura elegans f. violacea This species is present in most of Europe and the Middle East. It is a common species.
These damselflies can be found in a wide range of lowland environments, with standing and slow flowing waters, brackish and polluted water. Ischnura elegans can reach a body length of 27–35 millimetres (1.1–1.4 in) and a wingspan of about 35 millimetres (1.4 in). Hindwings reach a length of 14–20 millimetres (0.55–0.79 in). Adult male blue-tailed damselflies have a head and thorax patterned with blue and black. There is a bi-coloured pterostigma on the front wings. Eyes are blue. They have a largely black abdomen with very narrow pale markings where each segment joins the next. Segment eight... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Triglav National Park | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | |
| 7 | Vanoise National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 11 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antalya | 🇹🇷 Turkey | |
| 2 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 3 | Milan | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 4 | Rostov-on-Don | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Kharkiv | 🇺🇦 Ukraine | |
| 6 | Paris | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Jerusalem | 🇮🇱 Israel | |
| 8 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | Rotterdam [The Hague] | 🇳🇱 Netherlands |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Tailed Damselfly sighting in London on a given day, based on 501 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 80th most-seen of the 1504 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.
June
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Tailed Damselfly in London on a given day, against under 5% in September to April, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-Tailed Damselfly sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
14th of 42
Of the 42 cities where we can rate Blue-Tailed Damselfly sightings, London ranks 14th at about 20%. The best odds are in Antalya (Turkey, about 40%), Brussels (Belgium, about 30%) and Milan (Italy, about 30%).
Same family: Coenagrionidae
The closest relatives of the Blue-Tailed Damselfly that you can see in London (family Coenagrionidae, Narrow-winged Damselflies) are Large Red Damselfly (about 20%), Common Blue Damselfly (about 20%) and Azure Damselfly (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue-Tailed Damselfly is recorded against all the insects logged in London (501 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.
