Macrodiplax cora
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Macrodiplax cora, the coastal glider, also known as wandering pennant, and Cora's pennant, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. An adult male Macrodiplax cora is a medium-sized dragonfly (length 45mm, wingspan 75mm) with a red abdomen, dorsally marked with black patches on each segment. The female abdomen is less brightly colored. The synthorax is a brownish color and may be hirsute. The wings are clear except for a yellowish patch at the base of the hind wing. Its bi-colored legs and hourglass shaped black patches on the abdominal segments will help to easily distinguish them from other red colored dragonflies.
The species undertakes migration and may be nomadic, and is thus widespread in tropical Asia and Australasia. It occurs in South Asia, Australia and a variety of Indian and Pacific Oceans Islands. It prefers coastal lagoons, estuaries and swamps, as it is somewhat salt-tolerant.
The genus name Macrodiplax combines the Greek μακρός (makros, "large" or "long") with Diplax, a genus name derived from the Greek δίς (dis, "twice") and πλάξ (plax, "flat and broad"). The name probably refers to the large... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Pennant sighting in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, based on 26 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 84th most-seen of the 316 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January–February and April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Wandering Pennant in iSimangaliso Wetland Park on a given day, against under 5% in May to November, the lowest months. Those are among iSimangaliso Wetland Park's wettest months, with about 100 mm of rain a month against 30 mm in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wandering Pennant sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Wandering Pennant sightings, iSimangaliso Wetland Park ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Kakadu National Park (Australia, about 20%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Wandering Pennant that you can see in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Lucia Widow (about 30%), Violet Dropwing (about 30%) and Southern Banded Groundling (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wandering Pennant is recorded against all the insects logged in iSimangaliso Wetland Park (26 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.
