Calopteryx maculata
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The ebony jewelwing (Calopteryx maculata) is a species of broad-winged damselfly. One of about 150 species of Calopterygidae, it is found in the eastern U.S. and southeastern Canada, ranging west to the Great Plains. Other common names include black-winged damselfly.
It is between 39–57 mm (1.5–2.2 in). The male has a metallic blue-green body and black wings. The female is duller brown with smoky wings that have white spots near the tips (pseudopterostigmas). The naiad is pale brown with darker markings. There are some spots in the wings.
It lives near wooded streams and rivers, but it can move far from water. Ebony jewelwings mate in the summer. The male holds the female behind her head with his tail or abdomen. The female lays eggs in the soft stems of aquatic plants. The naiad eats small aquatic insects. When the naiad is fully grown, it crawls out of the water and molts.
This damselfly species can be seen almost year-round in some regions. Prey of this species includes the tiger mosquito, giant willow aphid, fungus gnats, crane flies, large diving beetles, eastern dobsonfly, water fleas, green darner... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Chicago | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Ebony Jewelwing sighting in New York City on a given day, based on 169 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 178th most-seen of the 1623 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June and July
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Ebony Jewelwing in New York City on a given day, against under 5% in August to May, the lowest months.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ebony Jewelwing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 11
Of the 11 cities where we can rate Ebony Jewelwing sightings, New York City ranks 9th at under 5%. The best odds are in Toronto (Canada, about 10%), Washington (United States, about 10%) and Detroit (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Odonata
The closest relatives of the Ebony Jewelwing that you can see in New York City (order Odonata, Dragonflies and Damselflies) are Blue Dasher (about 20%), Eastern Amberwing (about 10%) and Fragile Forktail (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ebony Jewelwing is recorded against all the insects logged in New York City (169 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.
