White-Tailed Skimmer

White-Tailed Skimmer

Orthetrum albistylum

Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Tokyo

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

1,524 Verified sightings at Tokyo
35 In all 3 parks From 2019 to 2026
August Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the White-Tailed Skimmer

Orthetrum albistylum is a dragonfly species, which occurs from central and south Europe to China and Japan. Its distribution is often patchy but in many areas it is common. The species has recently spread its range northwards to the Baltic Sea coast in Poland. The common name for this species is white-tailed skimmer.

One of the ongoing threats affecting the habitat of Orthetrum albistylum is the production of crops. The water pollution associated with crop production is also having a direct effect on the quality of the habitat of this species. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~20%
2 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~10%
3 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Nagoya 🇯🇵 Japan
~40%
2 Daegu 🇰🇷 South Korea
~40%
3 Osaka 🇯🇵 Japan
~30%
4 Tianjin 🇨🇳 China
~30%
5 Tokyo 🇯🇵 Japan
~30%
6 Daejeon 🇰🇷 South Korea
~20%
7 Sendai 🇯🇵 Japan
~20%
8 Rostov-on-Don 🇷🇺 Russia
~20%
9 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~20%
10 Jinan 🇨🇳 China
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a White-Tailed Skimmer in Tokyo?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a White-Tailed Skimmer sighting in Tokyo on a given day, based on 1,524 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 5th most-seen of the 1013 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a White-Tailed Skimmer in Tokyo?

August

In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a White-Tailed Skimmer in Tokyo on a given day, against under 5% in November to March, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a White-Tailed Skimmer?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

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

Is Tokyo the best place to see a White-Tailed Skimmer?

5th of 21

Of the 21 cities where we can rate White-Tailed Skimmer sightings, Tokyo ranks 5th at about 30%. The best odds are in Nagoya (Japan, about 40%), Daegu (South Korea, about 40%) and Osaka (Japan, about 30%).

Which relatives of the White-Tailed Skimmer live in Tokyo?

Same genus: Orthetrum

The closest relatives of the White-Tailed Skimmer that you can see in Tokyo (genus Orthetrum) are Greater Blue Skimmer (about 10%) and Orthetrum japonicum (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the White-Tailed Skimmer sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the White-Tailed Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Tokyo (1,524 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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