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Sticker of Band-winged meadowhawk
Bug card No. 0261 of 4,939

Band-winged meadowhawk

Sympetrum semicinctum
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsDragonflies and damselfliesPonds, rivers and shores6 legs

The band-winged meadowhawk is a small dragonfly. The male has a bright red tail and dark red eyes. Its back wings have a rusty brown patch near the body, like a band, which gives it its name.

Lives in
Canada and the United States, from coast to coast, near ponds, marshes and meadows
Length
2.8 to 3.6 cm (1.1 to 1.4 in)
Wingspan
4.5 to 5.5 cm (1.8 to 2.2 in)
Top speed
about 31 km/h (19 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Dragonflies have no sting. Just watch it fly.
What does it eat?
It catches soft flying insects. Its babies live under water and eat mosquito larvae, tadpoles and even tiny fish.
For real!Photo of Band-winged meadowhawk
Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How big is it?

How long is it?

Band-winged meadowhawk about 3.6 cm long (1.4 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)

How wide are its wings?

Band-winged meadowhawk wings about 5.5 cm tip to tip (2.2 in)A toy building brick about 3.2 cm (1.3 in)A crayon about 9 cm (3.5 in)A banana about 18 cm (7.1 in)
as long as 6 grains of rice in a rowwings as wide as 1.5 toy building brickscould fly across a whole football pitch in 12 secondsmoves 240 times its own body length every second

How big is Band-winged meadowhawk compared to YOU?

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How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

Young males are yellow and slowly turn red as they grow up.

2

Females are mostly yellowish or orange, but older ones sometimes turn red like the males.

3

The female lays her eggs while flying together with the male, dipping the tip of her tail into the water.

4

It flies from April to October and is most common in late summer.

you asked

Most asked questions about Band-winged meadowhawk

?Why is it called the band-winged meadowhawk?

Because of the rusty brown band at the base of its back wings.

?What does the band-winged meadowhawk eat?

Soft flying insects. Its underwater babies eat mosquito larvae and tadpoles.

?Is the band-winged meadowhawk dangerous?

No. Dragonflies have no sting and are harmless to people.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Sympetrum semicinctum
Group
Dragonflies and damselflies
Family
Libellulidae
Classification
Insecta > Odonata > Libellulidae
Lives on
North America

Where the facts come from

  1. Band-winged meadowhawk (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0): what it looks like, where it lives, what it eats, sizes and fun facts, retold in simple words.
  2. Picture by Hectonichus. CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. The sticker of this bug is drawn from this picture.

If we got something wrong, sorry, we are bug fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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Honey jarfor grown-ups