Cardinal Meadowhawk

Cardinal Meadowhawk

Sympetrum illotum

Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at San Francisco

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

211 Verified sightings at San Francisco
68 In all 7 parks From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Cardinal Meadowhawk

Sympetrum illotum, the cardinal meadowhawk, is a species of skimmer in the dragonfly family Libellulidae. It is found in North America and South America, including islands in the Caribbean. The IUCN conservation status of Sympetrum illotum is least concern, with no immediate threat to the species' survival. The population is stable. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
2 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
3 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
4 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
6 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
7 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Toluca 🇲🇽 México
~10%
2 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
3 Puebla 🇲🇽 México
~10%
4 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
5 Mexico City 🇲🇽 México
~10%
6 Guadalajara 🇲🇽 México
~10%
7 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
8 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
9 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
10 San Diego 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Cardinal Meadowhawk in San Francisco?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cardinal Meadowhawk sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 211 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 96th most-seen of the 737 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 Cardinal Meadowhawk in San Francisco?

April–June and August–September

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cardinal Meadowhawk in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in July and October–March, the lowest months. Those are among San Francisco's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in December.

What time of day is best to see a Cardinal Meadowhawk?

Between noon and 3 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cardinal Meadowhawk 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 San Francisco the best place to see a Cardinal Meadowhawk?

7th of 10

Of the 10 cities where we can rate Cardinal Meadowhawk sightings, San Francisco ranks 7th at under 5%. The best odds are in Toluca (México, about 10%), Portland (United States, about 10%) and Puebla (México, about 10%).

Where does the Cardinal Meadowhawk sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Cardinal Meadowhawk is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (211 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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