Trithemis annulata
In 3 days ~70% in a week >90%
Trithemis annulata, commonly known as the violet dropwing, violet-marked darter, purple-blushed darter, or plum-coloured dropwing, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in most of Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe. These dragonflies are called dropwings because of their habit of immediately lowering their wings after landing on a perch. Males of this species are violet-red with red veins in the wings, while females are yellow and brown. Both sexes have red eyes. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 2 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 4 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 5 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 6 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 8 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 10 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 12 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 14 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 15 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 16 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 17 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 18 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 19 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Dropwing sighting in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 6 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Dropwing in Mana Pools National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and July, the lowest months. That is one of Mana Pools National Park's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 290 mm in January.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Violet Dropwing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 19
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Violet Dropwing sightings, Mana Pools National Park ranks 5th at about 40%. The best odds are in Awash National Park (Ethiopia, about 60%), Meru National Park (Kenya, about 40%) and Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Violet Dropwing that you can see in Mana Pools National Park (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Southern Banded Groundling (about 40%) and Red Groundling (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Violet Dropwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Mana Pools National Park (10 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.
