Trithemis kirbyi
In 3 days ~40% in a week ~70%
Trithemis kirbyi, also known as the Kirby's dropwing, orange-winged dropwing, or scarlet rock glider is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi. It is also present in southern Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Ocean Islands and South Asia to India.
Since 2003 this African tropical dragonfly has been colonizing Europe helped by a widespread increase in temperatures. It is now breeding successfully in Spain, Portugal and France. The adult male abdomen measures 21–24 mm and hind wing 24–27 mm. Female abdomen measures 23 mm and hind wing 26–30 mm. The male is a medium-sized scarlet dragonfly with a broad reddish amber patch on the base of transparent wings. The female is similar to the male, but duller in color. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical streams... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berenty Reserve | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 7 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 9 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 12 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 13 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 14 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 15 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Winged Dropwing sighting in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 39 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 70%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Winged Dropwing in Pilanesberg National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January, April and June–August, the lowest months. That is one of Pilanesberg National Park's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 130 mm in December.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orange-Winged Dropwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
9th of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Orange-Winged Dropwing sightings, Pilanesberg National Park ranks 9th at about 10%. The best odds are in Berenty Reserve (Madagascar, about 40%), Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia, about 30%) and uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Trithemis
The closest relatives of the Orange-Winged Dropwing that you can see in Pilanesberg National Park (genus Trithemis, Dropwings) are Red-Veined Dropwing (about 20%) and Violet Dropwing (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orange-Winged Dropwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Pilanesberg National Park (12 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.
