Orthemis ferruginea
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The roseate skimmer (Orthemis ferruginea) is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is native to the Americas, where its distribution extends from the United States to Brazil. It is common and widespread. It is an introduced species in Hawaii.
The male of the species has a rose pink and red abdomen. The female has an orange-brown abdomen with clear orange veins and a brownish thorax with a light stripe down the back. The wings are normally clear except for brown pterostigmata at the leading edges.
It is 46–55 millimetres (1.8–2.2 in) in length with a wingspan 35–44 millimetres (1.4–1.7 in) long. Males are highly territorial, defending their territory aggressively against other male roseate skimmers that fly near. It tolerates a wide range of habitat types, but usually requires open water. This can include disturbed and artificial water bodies, such as tanks and ditches. It can live in open or vegetated land. It breeds in the mud. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Palo Verde National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Ciénaga de Zapata | 🇨🇺 Cuba | |
| 3 | Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | Big Bend National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Cumbres de Monterrey National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mesa | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Houston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | San Pedro Sula | 🇭🇳 Honduras | |
| 5 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 6 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Orlando | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | San Antonio | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Las Vegas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Guadalajara | 🇲🇽 México |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Roseate Skimmer sighting in Saguaro National Park on a given day, based on 29 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 82nd most-seen of the 354 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March to January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Roseate Skimmer in Saguaro National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, the lowest month.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Roseate Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 9
Of the 9 parks where we can rate Roseate Skimmer sightings, Saguaro National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in Palo Verde National Park (Costa Rica, about 20%), Ciénaga de Zapata (Cuba, about 20%) and Ría Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 20%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Roseate Skimmer that you can see in Saguaro National Park (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Flame Skimmer (about 20%), Variegated Meadowhawk (about 20%) and Filigree Skimmer (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Roseate Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Saguaro National Park (29 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.
