Cannaphila insularis
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
Cannaphila insularis, the gray-waisted skimmer, is a species of skimmer in the family Libellulidae. It is found in the Caribbean, Central America, and North America. The IUCN conservation status of Cannaphila insularis is "LC", least concern, with no immediate threat to the species' survival. The population is stable.
These two subspecies belong to the species Cannaphila insularis. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bastimentos Island National Marine Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 2 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Manuel Antonio National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | Cahuita National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 6 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 8 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-Waisted Skimmer sighting in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, based on 31 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 80 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Gray-Waisted Skimmer in Tortuguero National Park on a given day, against under 5% in June and October–December, the lowest months. That is one of Tortuguero National Park's driest months, with about 160 mm of rain against 540 mm in July.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray-Waisted 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.
Among the best
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Gray-Waisted Skimmer sightings, Tortuguero National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Bastimentos Island National Marine Park (Panama, about 20%).
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Gray-Waisted Skimmer that you can see in Tortuguero National Park (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Red-Mantled Dragonlet (about 20%), Tropical Woodskimmer (about 20%) and Large Woodskimmer (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gray-Waisted Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in Tortuguero National Park (31 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.
