Black-tailed Skimmer
Orthetrum cancellatum
Males have a pale blue pruinose abdomen with a black tip, whereas females and young males are yellowish-brown with black markings. Males like to perch flat on stones or bare ground at the water's edge, setting off from there on patrol flights.
- Group
- A Small World
- Photos
- 1
- Taken
- 2023
Profile: Black-tailed Skimmer
- Family
- Skimmers (Libellulidae)
- Size
- approx. 4.4–5 cm
- Habitat
- Still waters with open, sparsely vegetated banks, often including gravel pits, flooded quarries and ponds.
- Diet
- Small flying insects caught on the wing; the larvae are aquatic predators.
- When to see
- Flight period roughly from mid-May to September, peaking in July and early August; occasionally still seen in October.
Learn more: Wikipedia