Trithemis annulata
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Trithemis annulata, commonly known as the violet dropwing, violet-marked darter, purple-blushed darter, or plum-coloured dropwing, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in most of Africa, the Middle East, and southern Europe. These dragonflies are called dropwings because of their habit of immediately lowering their wings after landing on a perch. Males of this species are violet-red with red veins in the wings, while females are yellow and brown. Both sexes have red eyes. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Awash National Park | 🇪🇹 Ethiopia | |
| 2 | Meru National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 3 | Niokolo-Koba National Park | 🇸🇳 Senegal | |
| 4 | Lower Zambezi National Park | 🇿🇲 Zambia | |
| 5 | Mana Pools National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 6 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 8 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 9 | Gonarezhou National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 10 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 11 | Murchison Falls National Park | 🇺🇬 Uganda | |
| 12 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 14 | Moremi Game Reserve | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 15 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 16 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 17 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 18 | Cévennes National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 19 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Dropwing sighting in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, based on 23 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 59 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 70%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Dropwing in uMkhuze Game Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in January, May and September, the lowest months. That is one of uMkhuze Game Reserve's wettest months, with about 85 mm of rain against 15 mm in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Violet Dropwing sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 19
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Violet Dropwing sightings, uMkhuze Game Reserve ranks 6th at about 30%. The best odds are in Awash National Park (Ethiopia, about 60%), Meru National Park (Kenya, about 40%) and Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same genus: Trithemis
The closest relatives of the Violet Dropwing that you can see in uMkhuze Game Reserve (genus Trithemis, Dropwings) are Red-Veined Dropwing (about 30%) and Orange-Winged Dropwing (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Violet Dropwing is recorded against all the insects logged in uMkhuze Game Reserve (23 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.
