Violet Dropwing

Violet Dropwing

Trithemis annulata

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Porto

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

16 Verified sightings at Porto
991 In all 19 parks From 2019 to 2026
June Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Violet Dropwing

Trithemis annulata, commonly known as the violet dropwing, violet-marked darter, purple-blushed darter, or plum-coloured dropwing, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in most of Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe. These dragonflies are called dropwings because of their habit of immediately lowering their wings after landing on a perch. Males of this species are violet-red with red veins in the wings, while females are yellow and brown. Both sexes have red eyes. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Awash National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~60%
2 Meru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
3 Niokolo-Koba National Park 🇸🇳 Senegal
~40%
4 Lower Zambezi National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~40%
5 Mana Pools National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~40%
6 uMkhuze Game Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
7 Ankarafantsika National Park 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~30%
8 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
9 Gonarezhou National Park 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
~30%
10 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
11 Murchison Falls National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~20%
12 Monfragüe National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~20%
13 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
14 Moremi Game Reserve 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
15 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
16 Etosha National Park 🇳🇦 Namibia
~10%
17 Chobe National Park 🇧🇼 Botswana
~10%
18 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
19 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Dammam 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
~50%
2 Antalya 🇹🇷 Turkey
~40%
3 Ouagadougou 🇧🇫 Burkina Faso
~40%
4 Kampala 🇺🇬 Uganda
~30%
5 Luxor 🇪🇬 Egypt
~30%
6 Tel Aviv 🇮🇱 Israel
~30%
7 Algiers 🇩🇿 Algeria
~20%
8 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%
9 Abu Dhabi 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
~20%
10 Naples 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Violet Dropwing in Porto?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Dropwing sighting in Porto on a given day, based on 16 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 305th most-seen of the 498 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.

When is the best time to see a Violet Dropwing in Porto?

May–June and August

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Dropwing in Porto on a given day, against under 5% in July and September–April, the lowest months. Those are among Porto's driest months, with about 40 mm of rain a month against 140 mm in January.

What time of day is best to see a Violet Dropwing?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

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

Is Porto the best place to see a Violet Dropwing?

21st of 23

Of the 23 cities where we can rate Violet Dropwing sightings, Porto ranks 21st at under 5%. The best odds are in Dammam (Saudi Arabia, about 50%), Antalya (Turkey, about 40%) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso, about 40%).

Which relatives of the Violet Dropwing live in Porto?

Same family: Libellulidae

The closest relatives of the Violet Dropwing that you can see in Porto (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Keeled Skimmer (about 10%), Broad Scarlet (about 10%) and Nomad (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Violet Dropwing sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Violet Dropwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Porto (16 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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