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Sticker of Blue marsh hawk
Bug card No. 0537 of 4,939

Blue marsh hawk

Orthetrum glaucum
Eats: Other bugs and small animalsDragonflies and damselfliesPonds, rivers and shores6 legs

The blue marsh hawk is a medium-sized dragonfly from Asia. Old males turn powdery blue, with a dark face and greenish blue eyes. Females and young males are golden instead.

Lives in
Tropical and subtropical Asia, near marshes, forest streams and canals
Top speed
about 40 km/h (25 mph)
Flying, estimate
Can it hurt you?
Harmless
Harmless. Dragonflies have no sting. Just watch it fly.
What does it eat?
It catches flying insects in the air. Its babies live under water and hunt small water animals.
For real!Photo of Blue marsh hawk
Picture by Charles J. Sharp. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

How fast is it?

cool stuff

Fun facts

1

The blue colour on an old male is like a fine powder covering its body.

2

The last two parts of its tail are black.

3

Its clear wings have a dark amber tint right at the base.

4

It lays its eggs in marshes near forest streams, in plantations and canals.

you asked

Most asked questions about Blue marsh hawk

?What colour is the blue marsh hawk?

Old males are powdery blue. Females and young males are golden with brown stripes.

?Where does the blue marsh hawk live?

In warm parts of Asia, near marshes, streams and canals.

For bug experts

Scientific name
Orthetrum glaucum
Group
Dragonflies and damselflies
Family
Libellulidae
Classification
Insecta > Odonata > Libellulidae
Lives on
Asia

Where the facts come from

  1. Orthetrum glaucum (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 Charles J. Sharp. 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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