Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk

Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk

Orthetrum chrysis

Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Singapore

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

1,200 Verified sightings at Singapore
150 In all 9 parks From 2019 to 2026
November Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk

The Spine-tufted skimmer, or brown-backed red marsh hawk, (Orthetrum chrysis) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is widespread in many Asian countries. It is a medium sized dragonfly with dark thorax and blood-red abdomen. It looks very similar to Orthetrum pruinosum in shape and size; but can be distinguished by the color of the abdomen. The abdomen of the female is ochreous brown. It breeds in pools and marshes.

List of odonates of Sri Lanka List of odonates of India List of odonata of Kerala chrysis.html World Dragonflies Animal diversity web Query Results Sri Lanka Biodiversity NCBI Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~40%
2 Periyar National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
3 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~30%
4 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
5 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~20%
6 Taman Negara National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
7 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
8 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
9 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Singapore 🇸🇬 Singapore
~20%
2 Johor Bahru 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
3 Thiruvananthapuram 🇮🇳 India
~20%
4 Kozhikode 🇮🇳 India
~20%
5 Tuen Mun 🇨🇳 China
~10%
6 Hong Kong 🇨🇳 China
~10%
7 Kuala Lumpur 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
8 Yogyakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~10%
9 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
~10%
10 Ho Chi Minh City 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk in Singapore?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk sighting in Singapore on a given day, based on 1,200 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 16th most-seen of the 1045 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk in Singapore?

Any time of year

In every month with enough records, about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk in Singapore on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.

What time of day is best to see a Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk 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 Singapore the best place to see a Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk?

Yes

Of the 12 cities where we can rate Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk sightings, Singapore has the highest daily chance: about 20%. Next come Johor Bahru (Malaysia, about 20%) and Thiruvananthapuram (India, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk live in Singapore?

Same genus: Orthetrum

The closest relatives of the Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk that you can see in Singapore (genus Orthetrum) are Slender Skimmer (about 20%), Blue Marsh Hawk (about 20%) and Orange Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk is recorded against all the insects logged in Singapore (1,200 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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