Common Darter

Common Darter

Sympetrum striolatum

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Rotterdam [The Hague]

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

45 Verified sightings at Rotterdam [The Hague]
427 In all 14 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Common Darter

The common darter (Sympetrum striolatum) is a dragonfly of the family Libellulidae native to Eurasia. It is one of the most common dragonflies in Europe, occurring in a wide variety of water bodies, though with a preference for breeding in still water such as ponds and lakes. In the south of its range adults are on the wing all year round.

Sympetrum species are not easy to tell apart and in most areas more than one Sympetrum species will occur. Females and teneral individuals have light yellow thorax and abdomen. Males turn red as they mature. Females darken with age, becoming a dark chocolate brown, and sometimes develop a blue colouration to the bottom of the abdomen. The wings also develop a brown tinge with age. In all cases the legs have a cream or yellow stripe on a black background - this is a diagnostic feature of this species. The pterostigma of the females can be red, blue, pale blue or brown.

Adults can be seen on the wing all year round in southern Europe but in northern regions they occur from June to November. This small dragonfly is seen in a wide variety of habitats, including lakes, ponds, canals and slow-flowing rivers. They are ambush... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
2 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
3 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
4 Mercantour National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
5 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
6 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
7 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%
8 Sierra de Guadarrama National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
9 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
10 Sierra Nevada National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
11 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~10%
12 Doñana National Park 🇪🇸 Spain
~10%
13 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~10%
14 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
2 Brussels 🇧🇪 Belgium
~20%
3 Munich 🇩🇪 Germany
~20%
4 Yerevan 🇦🇲 Armenia
~20%
5 Manchester 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
6 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%
7 Liverpool 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
8 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~20%
9 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
10 Rostov-on-Don 🇷🇺 Russia
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Darter in Rotterdam [The Hague]?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Darter sighting in Rotterdam [The Hague] on a given day, based on 45 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 39th most-seen of the 355 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Common Darter in Rotterdam [The Hague]?

September

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Darter in Rotterdam [The Hague] on a given day, against under 5% in December to June, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Common Darter?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Darter 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 Rotterdam [The Hague] the best place to see a Common Darter?

15th of 38

Of the 38 cities where we can rate Common Darter sightings, Rotterdam [The Hague] ranks 15th at about 10%. The best odds are in London (United Kingdom, about 20%), Brussels (Belgium, about 20%) and Munich (Germany, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Common Darter live in Rotterdam [The Hague]?

Same genus: Sympetrum

The closest relatives of the Common Darter that you can see in Rotterdam [The Hague] (genus Sympetrum, Meadowhawks) are Vagrant Darter (about 10%) and Ruddy Darter (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Common Darter sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Darter is recorded against all the insects logged in Rotterdam [The Hague] (45 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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