Orthetrum trinacria
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
Orthetrum trinacria, the Long Skimmer, is a species of dragonfly in the family Libellulidae. It is found in Algeria, Angola, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ethiopia, France (Corsica), Gambia, Ghana, Italy (Sicily and Sardinia), Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and possibly Burundi. It was recently recorded in the Maltese Islands in 2003 and was recorded breeding on the island of Gozo in 2004. Its natural habitats are rivers, shrub-dominated wetlands, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marshes. Also breeding in Southern Spain (Murcia and Malaga Provinces) and the Canary Islands. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | uMkhuze Game Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | iSimangaliso Wetland Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Monfragüe National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 4 | Pilanesberg National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 5 | West Coast National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 6 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 7 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 8 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Long Skimmer sighting in West Coast National Park on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 32nd most-seen of the 44 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.
December
In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Long Skimmer in West Coast National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March to November, the lowest months. That is one of West Coast National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain against 70 mm in June.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Long Skimmer sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
5th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Long Skimmer sightings, West Coast National Park ranks 5th at about 10%. The best odds are in uMkhuze Game Reserve (South Africa, about 20%), iSimangaliso Wetland Park (South Africa, about 20%) and Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Long Skimmer is recorded against all the insects logged in West Coast National Park (5 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.
