Blue-Tailed Damselfly

Blue-Tailed Damselfly

Ischnura elegans

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Vienna

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

228 Verified sightings at Vienna
338 In all 12 parks From 2019 to 2026
July Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Blue-Tailed Damselfly

The blue-tailed damselfly or common bluetail (Ischnura elegans) is a damselfly, belonging to the family Coenagrionidae. Ischnura elegans pontica Schmidt, 1939 Ischnura elegans f. infuscans Ischnura elegans f. infuscans-obsoleta Ischnura elegans f. rufescens Ischnura elegans f. typica Ischnura elegans f. violacea This species is present in most of Europe and the Middle East. It is a common species.

These damselflies can be found in a wide range of lowland environments, with standing and slow flowing waters, brackish and polluted water. Ischnura elegans can reach a body length of 27–35 millimetres (1.1–1.4 in) and a wingspan of about 35 millimetres (1.4 in). Hindwings reach a length of 14–20 millimetres (0.55–0.79 in). Adult male blue-tailed damselflies have a head and thorax patterned with blue and black. There is a bi-coloured pterostigma on the front wings. Eyes are blue. They have a largely black abdomen with very narrow pale markings where each segment joins the next. Segment eight... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Kiskunság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~40%
2 Hortobágy National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~40%
3 Camargue 🇫🇷 France
~30%
4 Fertő-Hanság National Park 🇭🇺 Hungary
~30%
5 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
6 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~10%
7 Vanoise National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%
8 Wadden Sea National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
9 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
10 Snowdonia National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~10%
11 Cévennes National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%
12 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Antalya 🇹🇷 Turkey
~40%
2 Brussels 🇧🇪 Belgium
~30%
3 Milan 🇮🇹 Italy
~30%
4 Rostov-on-Don 🇷🇺 Russia
~20%
5 Kharkiv 🇺🇦 Ukraine
~20%
6 Paris 🇫🇷 France
~20%
7 Jerusalem 🇮🇱 Israel
~20%
8 Leeds 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
9 Birmingham 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~20%
10 Rotterdam [The Hague] 🇳🇱 Netherlands
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Blue-Tailed Damselfly in Vienna?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Tailed Damselfly sighting in Vienna on a given day, based on 228 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 71st most-seen of the 1406 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 Blue-Tailed Damselfly in Vienna?

July

In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue-Tailed Damselfly in Vienna on a given day, against under 5% in October to March, the lowest months. That is one of Vienna's wettest months, with about 90 mm of rain against 40 mm in February.

What time of day is best to see a Blue-Tailed Damselfly?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue-Tailed Damselfly 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 Vienna the best place to see a Blue-Tailed Damselfly?

25th of 42

Of the 42 cities where we can rate Blue-Tailed Damselfly sightings, Vienna ranks 25th at about 10%. The best odds are in Antalya (Turkey, about 40%), Brussels (Belgium, about 30%) and Milan (Italy, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Blue-Tailed Damselfly live in Vienna?

Same family: Coenagrionidae

The closest relatives of the Blue-Tailed Damselfly that you can see in Vienna (family Coenagrionidae, Narrow-winged Damselflies) are Azure Damselfly (about 10%), Large Red Damselfly (about 10%) and Variable Bluet (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Blue-Tailed Damselfly sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Blue-Tailed Damselfly is recorded against all the insects logged in Vienna (228 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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