Perithemis tenera
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The eastern amberwing (Perithemis tenera) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is very small, reaching a total length of no more than 25 millimetres (0.98 in). The males have orange or amber wings, which likely contain pheomelanin. Both sexes have a red pterostigma. It is found in eastern North America, from northern Mexico north to south-eastern Canada.
The eastern amberwing dragonfly is one of the only types of dragonfly that actively mimics a wasp. The yellow and brown stripes on its abdomen encourage predators to stay away. When perched, they wiggle their abdomen and wings in a wasp-like fashion to deter other animals from eating it. Males have an elaborate courtship ritual. When a female approaches his territory, the male will lead her to his selected egg-laying site and hover above it with wings whirring and abdomen raised.
The common name refers to its eastern range, although this dragonfly does extend westward well into the central part of the United States. The scientific name, tenera, means delicate and alludes to its small size. Media related to Perithemis tenera at Wikimedia Commons
Perithemis tenera... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Lago de Yojoa | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 4 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 6 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 9 | Parque Natural Metropolitano | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 10 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Manu National Park | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Miami | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Rosario | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 7 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Amberwing sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 27 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 49th most-seen of the 189 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.
May–July and November
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Amberwing in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in October and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Amberwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
4th of 11
Of the 11 parks where we can rate Eastern Amberwing sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 30%), Everglades National Park (United States, about 20%) and Lago de Yojoa (Honduras, about 10%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Eastern Amberwing that you can see in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Seaside Dragonlet (about 40%), Blue Dasher (about 20%) and Eastern Pondhawk (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Amberwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (27 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.
