Aeshna cyanea
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
The southern hawker or blue hawker (Aeshna cyanea) is a species of hawker dragonfly. The species is one of the most common and most widespread dragonflies in Europe. The range in the Western Palearctic covers a large part of Europe, to Scotland and southern Scandinavia in the north and to Italy (without the southwest) and the northern Balkans in the south); the eastern boundary is formed by the Urals and the western by Ireland. It is also found in northwest Africa (Algeria). In Central Europe the species is very common.
These dragonflies mainly inhabit well-vegetated, small ponds and garden ponds, but they wander widely, and they are often seen in gardens and open woodland. Aeshna cyanea can reach a body length of about 70 millimetres (2.8 in), with a wingspan up to 110 millimetres (4.3 in). It is a large, brightly coloured dragonfly, with a long body. The thorax is brown, with two ante-humeral wide green longitudinal stripes. On the forehead there is a black spot in the form of the letter T. The wings are hyaline with a dark pterostigma. The leading edge of the wings is dark.
Males have a dark abdomen with bright apple green markings... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tatra National Park | 🇸🇰 Slovakia | |
| 2 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Mercantour National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 7 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 8 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Munich | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Leeds | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 4 | Birmingham | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 5 | Brussels | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 6 | London | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | Essen | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Helsinki | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 9 | Hamburg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 10 | Liverpool | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Hawker sighting in Minsk on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 116th most-seen of the 196 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July to September
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Southern Hawker in Minsk on a given day, against under 5% in October to June, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Southern Hawker sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 29 cities where we can rate Southern Hawker sightings, Minsk ranks 24th at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Manchester (United Kingdom, about 10%), Munich (Germany, about 10%) and Leeds (United Kingdom, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Southern Hawker is recorded against all the insects logged in Minsk (7 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.
