Slender Skimmer

Slender Skimmer

Orthetrum sabina

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Sepilok

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%

11 Verified sightings at Sepilok From 2019 to 2026
289 In all 22 parks
January Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Slender Skimmer

Orthetrum sabina, the slender skimmer or green marsh hawk, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is widespread, being found from south-eastern Europe and North Africa to Japan and south to Australia and Micronesia.

It is a medium-sized dragonfly with a wingspan of 60-85mm. Adults are greyish to greenish yellow with black and pale markings and green eyes. Its abdomen is greenish-yellow, marked with black. It is very similar to Orthetrum serapia in appearance, with both species appearing in northern Australia. Pale markings on segment four of the abdomen do not extend into the posterior section when viewed from above on Orthetrum sabina. Females are similar to males in shape, colour and size; differing only in sexual characteristics. This dragonfly perches motionless on shrubs and dry twigs for long periods. It preys voraciously on smaller butterflies and dragonflies.

The genus name Orthetrum is derived from the Greek ὀρθός (orthos, "straight") and ἦτρον (ētron, "abdomen"), referring to the parallel-sided abdomen of the genus. The species name sabina is possibly named for Saint Sabina.

List of... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cuc Phuong National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~40%
2 Way Kambas National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
3 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~30%
4 Sundarbans National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
5 Gunung Leuser National Park 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~30%
6 Kakadu National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~30%
7 Cat Tien National Park 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~20%
8 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
9 Chitwan National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
~20%
10 Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
11 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
12 Bako National Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~20%
13 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
~20%
14 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~20%
15 Litchfield National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
16 Khao Sok National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
17 Khao Yai National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
18 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
19 Sepilok 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
20 Kinabalu Park 🇲🇾 Malaysia
~10%
21 Daintree National Park 🇦🇺 Australia
~10%
22 Taroko National Park 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Yogyakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~60%
2 Kota 🇮🇳 India
~50%
3 Dammam 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
~50%
4 Tasikmalaya 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~50%
5 Denpasar 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
6 Padang 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~40%
7 Ho Chi Minh City 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~40%
8 Raipur 🇮🇳 India
~40%
9 Hanoi 🇻🇳 Vietnam
~40%
10 Thrissur 🇮🇳 India
~40%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Slender Skimmer in Sepilok?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Slender Skimmer sighting in Sepilok on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 48th most-seen of the 87 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Slender Skimmer in Sepilok?

January

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Slender Skimmer in Sepilok on a given day, against under 5% in April–May, August and October–December, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Slender Skimmer?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Slender 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.

Which relatives of the Slender Skimmer live in Sepilok?

Same genus: Orthetrum

The closest relatives of the Slender Skimmer that you can see in Sepilok (genus Orthetrum) are Orange Skimmer (about 30%) and Brown-Backed Red Marsh Hawk (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Slender Skimmer sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Slender Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Sepilok (11 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.

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