The White-tailed Skimmer is a common dragonfly found across Europe and Asia, but not in the United States. Mature males are powdery pale blue with a black tail tip ending in small white .
Appearance
- Appearance
- About 2–2.2 in (50–55 mm) long. Mature males are dusted pale blue-gray with a black tail tip and white claspers. Females and young males are yellowish with small black marks, and females also have a whitish tail tip.
Look-alikes
Black-tailed SkimmerOrthetrum cancellatum
In Europe, check the tail tip: the White-tailed Skimmer male has white claspers. White-tailed males are also a paler blue and more lightly built.
Why they get mixed upBoth have pale-blue males with a black tail tip.
Where it lives
- Typical habitats
- ponds
- rice paddies
- slow streams
- marshes
- Range
- Found in patches across central and southern Europe and eastern Asia, including China, Korea, and Japan, and often common where it lives.
- Preferred conditions
- Likes open water in lowlands, including human-made ponds and rice paddies.
Behavior
- Diet
- Both adults and larvae are predators; adults catch small insects.
- Activity
- Often perches flat on bare ground or paths rather than on plant stems.
- Overwintering
- Spends the winter as a larva in the water.
Life cycle
- Reproduction
- The female lays eggs alone by tapping the water surface with her abdomen while hovering, often guarded by the male.
Conservation
- IUCN Red List
- LCLeast ConcernLow risk of extinction
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