Black-tailed Skimmer

Fascinating facts about the Black-tailed Skimmer

• From a southern English stronghold in 1900, the black-tailed skimmer has pushed its frontier northward, reaching Northumberland by 2009 and even Edinburgh in southern Scotland today. The species first appeared in Essex in 1934 and Ireland in 1937, but only spread modestly until after 1996 when climate-driven warming and new gravel pits opened a corridor of open, unvegetated water.
• A mature black-tailed skimmer stretches 47-53 mm from head to tail, with an average wingspan of about 77 mm and hindwings 35-40 mm long. Its abdomen, 30-35 mm long, is lance-shaped and in males turns a vivid blue, while females stay yellow-brown with a lattice of dark stripes.
• Black-tailed skimmers choose any open water body that offers bare patches along the shore, think a gravel-lined lake or a slow-moving river with exposed rocks, where males can sun themselves on the sand. They avoid dense riparian vegetation, preferring lakes, slow rivers, ponds and sometimes marshy areas that lack thick plant cover. This preference for open, unvegetated shoreline makes newly created gravel pits perfect new homes, explaining part of their recent northward expansion and highlighting how human-altered landscapes can unintentionally benefit certain species.
• The main flight window for the black-tailed skimmer is June and July, when males perch horizontally on exposed surfaces and then dart swift, low flights skimming the water to defend their territories. They may mate in the air or on land, and females lay eggs by dipping their abdomen onto the water while a male watches nearby.
• After a female drops her eggs onto the water, they hatch in five or six weeks, and the emerging larvae hide among bottom debris for two to three years before emerging as winged adults. The nymphs grow to 23-25.5 mm long, sporting stout bodies and long legs that help them cling to submerged vegetation and decaying plant matter.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Black-tailed Skimmer

The Black-tailed Skimmer (Orthetrum cancellatum) is a striking dragonfly, easily identifiable by its elongated body adorned with a distinctive black tip on its abdomen. Males exhibit a beautiful azure blue coloration, while females are generally more subdued, presenting a yellowish-brown hue that aids in camouflage. This species thrives in a variety of freshwater habitats including ponds, lakes, and slow-moving rivers across Europe and parts of Asia, where it can often be spotted basking on sunlit perches or patrolling its territory with remarkable agility. Their aerial displays are not only a testament to their agility but also serve as a captivating spectacle for those fortunate enough to witness their dance among the reeds and rushes. The Black-tailed Skimmer is primarily a diurnal hunter, preying on a diverse diet of smaller insects such as midges and mosquitoes, which it captures mid-flight with precision. One surprising trait of this species is its ability to tolerate a range of environmental conditions; it can thrive in both acidic and alkaline waters, showcasing a remarkable adaptability. This resilience allows the Black-tailed Skimmer to occupy a wide range of habitats, from the tranquil edges of unspoiled wetlands to the more urbanized settings of garden ponds. However, this adaptability is not without limits, as changing climates and habitat degradation pose significant challenges, leaving one to ponder the future of this elegant aerial predator in an ever-evolving landscape.

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