Orthetrum trinacria
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Orthetrum trinacria, the Long Skimmer, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, France (Corsica), Gambia, Ghana, Italy (Sicily and Sardinia), Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi. It was recently recorded in the Maltese Islands in 2003 and was recorded breeding on the island of Gozo in 2004. Its natural habitats are rivers, shrub-dominated wetlands, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marshes. Also breeding in Southern Spain (Murcia and Malaga Provinces) and the Canary Islands. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long Skimmer sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 111 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 61st most-seen of the 748 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
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Long Skimmer in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month. That is one of Kruger National Park's wettest months, with about 95 mm of rain against almost none in August.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Long Skimmer sightings, Kruger National Park ranks 6th at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%), iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 20%) and Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 10%).
Same genus: Orthetrum
The closest relatives of the Long Skimmer that you can see in Kruger National Park (genus Orthetrum) are Epaulet Skimmer (about 20%), Bold Skimmer (about 10%) and Julia Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Kruger National Park (111 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.
