Common Bluetail

Common Bluetail

Ischnura senegalensis

Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Table Mountain National Park

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

191 Verified sightings at Table Mountain National Park From 2019 to 2026
864 In all 10 parks
February Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Common Bluetail

Ischnura senegalensis, also known variously as common bluetail, marsh bluetail, ubiquitous bluetail, African bluetail, and Senegal golden dartlet, is a widespread damselfly of the family Coenagrionidae. It is native from Africa, through the Middle East, to southern and eastern Asia.

It is a small damselfly with black capped bluish green eyes. Its thorax is black on dorsum and greenish blue on the sides. Its abdomen is black on dorsum up to segment 7. Segments 1 and 2 are greenish blue and 3 to 7 are khaki yellow on the sides. Segments 8 and 9 are azure blue, with 9 black on dorsum. Segment 10 is black on dorsum and khaki yellow on the sides. The green on thorax and abdomen may turn to blue in both male and female when aged.

The females of this species exhibit sexual mimicry. One group mimics the males' colour (androchromes). Other group will have their own female colouration (gynochromes). Androchrom female looks exactly like the male except in sexual characteristics. In gynochrome, the eyes are olive green with orange above. Sides of the thorax is mud colored, will pale when matured. All the abdominal segments are marked with black on dorsum. The lateral... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~30%
2 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
3 De Hoop Nature Reserve 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
4 South Luangwa National Park 🇿🇲 Zambia
~20%
5 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
6 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
7 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
8 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%
9 Kaeng Krachan National Park 🇹🇭 Thailand
~10%
10 Pilanesberg National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Antananarivo 🇲🇬 Madagascar
~50%
2 Kota 🇮🇳 India
~40%
3 Berhampore 🇮🇳 India
~30%
4 Taichung 🇹🇼 Taiwan
~30%
5 Kochi 🇮🇳 India
~30%
6 Vasai-Virar 🇮🇳 India
~30%
7 Mysuru 🇮🇳 India
~30%
8 Kolkata 🇮🇳 India
~20%
9 Chennai 🇮🇳 India
~20%
10 Yogyakarta 🇮🇩 Indonesia
~20%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Common Bluetail in Table Mountain National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Common Bluetail sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 191 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 344 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.

When is the best time to see a Common Bluetail in Table Mountain National Park?

February and December

In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Common Bluetail in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and July, the lowest months. Those are among Table Mountain National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 110 mm in June.

What time of day is best to see a Common Bluetail?

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Bluetail sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Table Mountain National Park the best place to see a Common Bluetail?

7th of 10

Of the 10 parks where we can rate Common Bluetail sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 7th at about 10%. The best odds are in Keoladeo National Park (India, about 30%), Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 30%) and De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, about 30%).

Which relatives of the Common Bluetail live in Table Mountain National Park?

Same family: Coenagrionidae

The closest relatives of the Common Bluetail that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (family Coenagrionidae, Narrow-winged Damselflies) are Common Citril (about 10%) and Mountain Sprite (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Common Bluetail sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Common Bluetail is recorded against all the insects logged in Table Mountain National Park (191 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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