Orthetrum cancellatum
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The black-tailed skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) is a dragonfly belonging to the family Libellulidae. This species is widespread in Europe and Asia. It is found throughout the European continent including the Mediterranean islands but is absent in the far north of Britain and the northern half of Fennoscandia. This is one of the most common European species and it is still increasing its range northwards. To the east, the range extends over central Asia to Kashmir, Mongolia to the northern parts of China and Arunachal Pradesh in India.
It is present in Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (Corsica, and mainland), Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey (including Turkey-in-Europe), Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and Uzbekistan... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Plitvice Lakes National Park | 🇭🇷 Croatia | |
| 4 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 5 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 6 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 7 | Aigüestortes National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 8 | Snowdonia National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 9 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Wadden Sea National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 11 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 12 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Tailed Skimmer sighting in Saint Petersburg on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 193rd most-seen of the 448 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.
July
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Black-Tailed Skimmer in Saint Petersburg on a given day, against under 5% in August to June, the lowest months. That is one of Saint Petersburg's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain against 40 mm in February.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black-Tailed Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
42nd of 42
Of the 42 cities where we can rate Black-Tailed Skimmer sightings, Saint Petersburg ranks 42nd at under 5%. The best odds are in Brussels (Belgium, about 20%), Milan (Italy, about 20%) and Kyiv (Ukraine, about 20%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Black-Tailed Skimmer that you can see in Saint Petersburg (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Vagrant Darter (about 10%), Black Meadowhawk (about 10%) and Yellow-Winged Darter (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black-Tailed Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Saint Petersburg (13 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.
