Trithemis kirbyi
In 3 days ~70% in a week ~90%
Trithemis kirbyi, also known as the Kirby's dropwing, orange-winged dropwing, or scarlet rock glider is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chad, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Western Sahara, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi. It is also present in southern Europe, the Arabian Peninsula, the Indian Ocean Islands and South Asia to India.
Since 2003 this African tropical dragonfly has been colonizing Europe helped by a widespread increase in temperatures. It is now breeding successfully in Spain, Portugal and France. The adult male abdomen measures 21–24 mm and hind wing 24–27 mm. Female abdomen measures 23 mm and hind wing 26–30 mm. The male is a medium-sized scarlet dragonfly with a broad reddish amber patch on the base of transparent wings. The female is similar to the male, but duller in color. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical streams... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Berenty Reserve | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Waterberg Plateau Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 3 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Hwange National Park | 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe | |
| 7 | Samburu National Reserve | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 8 | Namib-Naukluft National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 9 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 10 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 11 | Nairobi National Park | 🇰🇪 Kenya | |
| 12 | Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 13 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 14 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 15 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Winged Dropwing sighting in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 18th most-seen of the 24 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 60% of wildlife watchers report an Orange-Winged Dropwing in Waterberg Plateau Park on a given day, against under 5% in March and August, the lowest months. That is one of Waterberg Plateau Park's wettest months, with about 65 mm of rain against almost none in May.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Orange-Winged Dropwing sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 15
Of the 15 parks where we can rate Orange-Winged Dropwing sightings, Waterberg Plateau Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Berenty Reserve (Madagascar, about 40%). All parks ranked.
Same family: Libellulidae
The closest relatives of the Orange-Winged Dropwing that you can see in Waterberg Plateau Park (family Libellulidae, Skimmers) are Julia Skimmer (about 40%) and Little Scarlet (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Orange-Winged Dropwing is recorded against all the insects logged in Waterberg Plateau Park (7 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.
