Calopteryx xanthostoma
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The western demoiselle or yellow-tailed demoiselle (Calopteryx xanthostoma) is a species of damselfly belonging to the family Calopterygidae. It replaces the banded demoiselle (C. splendens) in southern France and the Iberian Peninsula, and is sometimes considered a subspecies of that species (hybrids frequently occur in areas where they overlap).
The male of C. xanthostoma generally has more extensive colouring in the wings than that of C.splendens, usually reaching to the wingtips. Unlike C. splendens, the males have clear wings when first emerging as adults, only developing the wing colour during the first week as an adult.
The colour of the underside of the tip of the abdomen is sometimes cited as an identification feature, being said to be yellowish in this species and whitish in C. splendens, but some sources consider this to be unreliable. The metallic green, clear-winged females are virtually identical to female C. splendens and are difficult to separate, even in the hand.
This species lives in habitat around running watercourses, such as streams and rivers, usually in open or somewhat shady areas. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 2 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 3 | Sierra de Guadarrama National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Madrid | 🇪🇸 Spain |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Western Demoiselle sighting in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 473rd most-seen of the 597 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Western Demoiselle in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Western Demoiselle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Western Demoiselle sightings, Sierra de Guadarrama National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Cévennes National Park (France, about 20%) and Pyrénées National Park (France, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Western Demoiselle is recorded against all the insects logged in Sierra de Guadarrama National Park (8 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.
