Ceriagrion glabrum
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Ceriagrion glabrum is a species of damselfly in the family Coenagrionidae. Its common names include common orange, common citril, common pond damsel, common waxtail, orange waxtail and gewone aljander. It is widespread in Africa, where it is found in habitats that are dominated by reeds.
This is a small to medium size damselfly (length up to 46 mm (1.8 in), wingspan up to 53 mm (2.1 in)). The eyes are greenish with a dark grey cap. As is the case in many damselflies, this species shows strong sexual dimorphism. Males have a bright orange, unmarked abdomen and thorax, with a lighter yellow-orange colour on the sides of the abdomen. Females range from brown to green to orange. They become increasingly orange with age, although they never reach the same striking brightness of the males.
This is by far the most common and widespread African Ceriagrion species. It has been observed to occur in Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 6 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antananarivo | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Durban | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Harare | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 4 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Pretoria | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Common Citril sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 11 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 16th most-seen of the 59 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Common Citril in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May–July and September, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Common Citril sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all 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 Common Citril sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve ranks 3rd at about 30%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Ankarafantsika National Park (Madagascar, about 30%) and iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 30%).
Same family: Coenagrionidae
The closest relatives of the Common Citril that you can see in uMkhuze Game Reserve (family Coenagrionidae, Narrow-winged Damselflies) are Hamon's Sprite (about 20%), Maasai Sprite (about 20%) and Sailing Bluet (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Common Citril is recorded against all the insects logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (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.
