Blue Hawker

Distribution: Europe and Northern Africa

Length size: 70 mm

Diet: insectivorous

IUCN red list status: Endangered



The blue hawker is a large dragonfly. It has green spots on the black bodies, and males also have blue spots on the abdomen area. This species is usually associated with well-vegetated small lakes and ponds. They can also be seen in urban areas and in heavily forested regions.

Adult males are very territorial because they need to defend their hunting and breeding areas from other males. Females lay their eggs at the edge of waterbodies, often outside the water in rotting wood and larvae typically emerge in July, but may continue into September.

Larva are long, and present a torpedo-shaped body with eyes that are broader than long. The larval epiproct has a shallowly concave shape.

The major threats blue hawkers are habitat loss and are listed as an endangered species on the IUCN Red List.