Blue Marsh Hawk

Orthetrum glaucum · Order: Odonata · Family: Libellulidae

Also called: Common Blue Skimmer

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Blue Marsh Hawk
Photo: Doreen, CC BY

The Blue Marsh Hawk is a medium-sized dragonfly. It breeds in marshes that are near forest streams, plantations, or canals. The species is common throughout tropical and subtropical parts of Asia.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

Older males have a dark blue thorax because of a powdery coating. Their wings are clear with a faint amber-yellow tint at the very base. The abdomen is blue up to segment 8, and the last two segments are black.

Source: Wikipedia

Size

It is a medium-sized dragonfly.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

Orthetrum glaucum occurs widely across tropical and subtropical Asia.

Source: Wikipedia

Lookalikes

Females and juvenile males can be told apart by the shape of the final abdominal segment.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Blue Marsh Hawk photo 3
Photo: Cynthia Su, CC BY
Blue Marsh Hawk photo 4
Photo: Nigel Voaden, CC BY
Blue Marsh Hawk photo 5
Photo: Franz Anthony, CC BY
Blue Marsh Hawk photo 6
Photo: unknown, CC0

Same family (Libellulidae)

Blue DasherBlue DasherPachydiplax longipennisEastern PondhawkEastern PondhawkErythemis simplicicollisCommon WhitetailCommon WhitetailPlathemis lydiaWidow SkimmerWidow SkimmerLibellula luctuosaAutumn MeadowhawkAutumn MeadowhawkSympetrum vicinumCommon DarterCommon DarterSympetrum striolatum

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthetrum_glaucum

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.

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