Common Winter Damselfly

Common Winter Damselfly

Sympecma fusca

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Moscow

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%

25 Verified sightings at Moscow
82 In all 7 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Common Winter Damselfly

Sympecma fusca, the common winter damselfly, is a damselfly a member of the Lestidae and related to the emeralds or spreadwings. This species can be found in much of southern and central Europe stretching out to Asia where it is replaced by S. paedisca. It is found around the Mediterranean in Europe and North Africa and on many Mediterranean islands.

It can be found in all types of standing water, including in brackish waters. In winter adults are found away from water on dry plant stems usually in open areas such as grassland and heaths. Sympecma fusca can reach a length of about 38 millimetres (1.5 in). It is distinct from all other European damselflies except Sympecma paedisca, so in most of its range there are no problems with identification. It does not have the bright blue or red colouration that is more usual for damselflies so it is often overlooked. It does not have the metallic emerald green sheen... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
2 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
3 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
4 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
<5%
6 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
<5%
7 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Budapest 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
2 Vienna 🇦🇹 Austria
~10%
3 Lyon 🇫🇷 France
~10%
4 Warsaw 🇵🇱 Poland
~10%
5 Munich 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
6 Brussels 🇧🇪 Belgium
~10%
7 Bucharest 🇷🇴 Romania
~10%
8 Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
9 Almaty 🇰🇿 Kazakhstan
~10%
10 Kyiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Winter Damselfly in Moscow?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Winter Damselfly sighting in Moscow on a given day, based on 25 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 523rd most-seen of the 1111 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Common Winter Damselfly in Moscow?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Common Winter Damselfly in Moscow on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Common Winter Damselfly?

Between 1 and 4 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Winter 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.

Is Moscow the best place to see a Common Winter Damselfly?

16th of 16

Of the 16 cities where we can rate Common Winter Damselfly sightings, Moscow ranks 16th at under 5%. The best odds are in Budapest (Hungary, about 10%), Vienna (Austria, about 10%) and Lyon (France, about 10%).

Where does the Common Winter Damselfly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Winter Damselfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Moscow (25 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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