Orthetrum abbotti
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Orthetrum abbotti is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. Common names include little skimmer and Abbott's skimmer. The species is found in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and also Jordan and Yemen. Its preferred habitats are small marshy spots (such as seeps, marshy verges of streams and grassy puddles) in grasslands and savannas.
This is a small Orthetrum; length 33–38 mm, wingspan 52–60 mm. Mature males are pale blue and the crest of the frons may be dark. The hook of the hamule is long and thin. Females and teneral males have only thin dark lines on the thorax. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Little Skimmer sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 272nd most-seen of the 316 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.
March–April and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Little Skimmer in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in May–September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Little Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only iSimangaliso Wetland Park, in our data
iSimangaliso Wetland Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Little Skimmer sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same genus: Orthetrum
The closest relatives of the Little Skimmer that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (genus Orthetrum) are Julia Skimmer (about 20%), Long Skimmer (about 20%) and Bold Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Little Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
