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Species account
Blue Hawker
(Aeshna cyanea)
(Müller, 1764)
Hawkers (Aeshnidae) [Dragonflies] BLHA 24799
Hawkers (Aeshnidae) [Dragonflies] BLHA 24799
Blå Mosaikguldsmed (dk)
Esna Verdeazulada (es)
Blågrön Mosaikslända (se)
Synonyms (common):
Southern Hawker (gb) Esna Selvática (es)
Synonyms (scientific):
Libellula aenea Sulzer, 1761 (nec Linnaeus, 1758)
Libellula anguis Harris, 1780
Aeschna maculatissima Latreille, 1805
Libellula varia Shaw, 1806 (nec Gmelin, 1788)
Aeshna juncea Charpentier, 1840 (nec Linnaeus, 1758)
Aeshna juncea lapponica Vale, 1940
Aeschna cyanea bicellulata Görtier, 1948
Measurements:
To 67-76mm Ab 51-61mm Hw 43-53mm
Generations:
Flight period:
(?):When compiling flight periods myself I mainly use citizen science data, and if so, limit to include records that have already been validated.
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| Europe | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Identification:
A large hawker. Both sexes always recognized by the complete blue or green bands on top of S9 and S10.
Male wingmark is dark brownish when mature and warm orange on the mature female.
Male wingmark is dark brownish when mature and warm orange on the mature female.
Similar species:
Life stages:
The mating takes place in bushes or trees away from water, and lasts for up to 2 hours. The lone female inserts the eggs into plant material above the water or even directly into mosses or soil on the shore. The eggs overwinter and hatch the following spring, and the larvae live in-between water plants or on bottom-material and develop during 2-3 years. The imago-transformation takes place on vegetation low and near the water.
Distribution:
(?):Altitude is often taken from a specific localized resource, why the true entire range very likely is wider.
Most of Europe; absent Ireland, Sardinia, Greece and northern part of Fennoscandinavia. Also present Algeria, Turkey and Russia to Central Asia region. In Denmark widespread in all regions.
Habitat:
Behavior:
Endemic:
Redlist
(?):NE: Not evaluated
NA: Not applicable
DD: Data deficient
LC: Least concern
NT: Near threatened
VU: Vulnerable
EN: Endangered
CR: Critically endangered
EW: Extinct in the wild
EX: Extinct
RE: Regionally extinct
NA: Not applicable
DD: Data deficient
LC: Least concern
NT: Near threatened
VU: Vulnerable
EN: Endangered
CR: Critically endangered
EW: Extinct in the wild
EX: Extinct
RE: Regionally extinct
LC(global) LC(eu) LC(EU) LC(dk)
Status:
Comment:
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400
(2 photos)
2020-07-07 Bøtø (Falster), Denmark Imago Male The close proximity of the last two blue markings on the abdomen is diagnostic for the species plus the fact that they are unbroken from one side to the other. |
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516
(2 photos BOTH SIDES)
2021-07-07 Kalvebod Fælled (København), Denmark Imago Male Fasanskoven. Immature male with the brownish eye and long pointed lower appendage. Perched in this birch 4-5 meters above me. My first on Amager. |
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957
(1 photos)
2022-07-12 Ronneby-area (Blekinge), Sweden Imago Male |
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2026
(3 photos)
2023-07-27 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Male Pale, and probably younger individual. |
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2028
(3 photos BOTH SIDES)
2023-07-27 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Male |
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2136
(1 photos)
2023-08-05 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Male |
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2130
(1 photos)
2023-08-05 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Male |
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2134
(1 photos)
2023-08-05 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Male |
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2132
(2 photos BOTH SIDES)
2023-08-05 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Male |
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2213
(1 photos)
2023-08-17 Svanesøen (Lynge), Denmark Imago Male Was flying shortly with 2212. Easier to catch than the elusive female. |
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2265
(1 photos)
2023-08-25 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male Small rainwater basin. Poor photo but not often to find the species patrolling like this in the open. |
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2396
(2 photos BOTH SIDES)
2023-09-05 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male Plejehjemsdammen. |
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2398
(2 photos BOTH SIDES)
2023-09-06 Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Strandengen-midt. Brombærkrattet. |
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2372
(2 photos)
2023-09-14 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Male When flying I normally see this species away from water and breeding habitats patrolling shady corridors in forests. This one therefore is in breeding mode, likely confirmed by the presence of the egg-laying female in 2373. |
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2848
(2 photos)
2024-07-06 Krebseklo-vandhullet/kirkegård (Hørsholm), Denmark Imago Male Vandhullet uden krebseklo, kirkegården. Teneral. A freshly sprinkled teneral after a heavy shower. It sat like this when I arrived, and still in the same position 4 hours later when I left. It wasn't exactly cold and the sun came out, and as can be seen it had dried up during this period, but apparently still wasn't able to move. |
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2890
(2 photos)
2024-07-25 Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Strandeng nord. Had a male in the same spot last year. Why exactly here along the entire canal running for a kilometer or so, I don't know, but perhaps the blackberry bushes at this spot are attractive providing good feeding opportunities. |
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2959
(2 photos)
2024-08-01 Kongelundsområdet (Dragør), Denmark Imago Male NØ-vandhullet. |
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2972
(3 photos BOTH SIDES)
2024-08-15 Amager Fælled, Denmark POSITION Imago Male Vagthussøen Patrolling below the bridge. |
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3026
(5 photos)
2024-08-23 Lunden (Gemmas Allé), Denmark Imago Male Stadionbagstien. Phone-photos. Was still flying in the early evening, but soon perched to here. |
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3040
(15 photos BOTH SIDES)
2024-08-30 Hovedgård, Denmark Imago Male Dead. Android-photos. Found in a window sill. Dust-entangled but still somewhat soft on the abdomen. The photos are taken 3 days after I found it, and already in that short time frame it looked like the colors were weaker. Especially the eyes had a strong iridescent glow that is gone now. The bird-shaped upper appendages show well when one can arrange the angles as one pleases. |
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3364
(1 photos)
2025-08-12 Ugandaskoven, Denmark Imago Male P-plads-vandhullet. Eagerly patrolling the overgrown waterhole. Same as 3391. |
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3385
(5 photos)
2025-09-14 Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago Male Plateauet-syd. Stien øst for Fælledby. Was lying on the ground with the wings spread out, and I thought it was dead. But it came to live when i grabbed its wing, and it was very excited while being photographed. When done, I put it on my saddle to let it fly, as it pleased, but it just tumbled to the ground, almost, and landed in the grass next to the trail. Later it took off into the thicket. Looking at its damaged face, I suspect it must have collided with a box-bicycle or something similarly heavy, large and fast, and was still groggy when I found it. Captured Damaged |
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3391
(2 photos)
2025-09-18 Ugandaskoven, Denmark Imago Male P-plads-vandhullet. Still in place, apparently as the only dragonfly at the waterhole. Except for a competitor that has rushed in on a brief attack both times I've been here lately. Same as 3364. |
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3397
(5 photos)
2025-09-22 Kalvebod Fælled (Tårnby), Denmark Imago Male SHV-lysningerne. Caught while perched in tall grass. No reel need to capture it other than getting a new captured-species and to practice, handling the large animals as well. Last two photos are from smartphone. Captured |
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564
(2 photos)
2021-08-05 Møllekrog (Esrum sø), Denmark Imago Female Typical all-green female. |
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1145
(3 photos)
2022-07-14 Bøtø (Falster), Denmark Imago Female |
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1146
(1 photos)
2022-07-17 Amager Fælled, Denmark Imago Female |
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1830
(3 photos BOTH SIDES)
2023-07-20 Haslev (sjælland), Denmark Imago Female Vandhul Troelstrup Bygade. Teneral. Photo 1 is how we found it and the other two after placing it in the sun and warmth, where it flew off shortly after. Interesting to know that it appears in Green Hawker habitat, in a pond with an extensive number of Water Soldiers [Krebseklo]. Notice the unusually broad blue marking on S9 which is more similar to the mark on the male. |
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2025
(1 photos)
2023-07-27 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Female Many animals flying here. |
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2027
(2 photos BOTH SIDES)
2023-07-27 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Female |
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2131
(2 photos)
2023-08-05 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Female |
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2135
(2 photos BOTH SIDES)
2023-08-05 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Female |
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2133
(1 photos)
2023-08-05 Ny Sebberup Skov (Hedensted), Denmark Imago Female |
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2212
(3 photos)
2023-08-17 Svanesøen (Lynge), Denmark Imago Female Patrolling too fast and too close to come up with more than this. Lucky shots even though, shot from the hip. A female with blue markings on the abdomen and somewhat small markings on S9-10. |
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2373
(5 photos BOTH SIDES)
(1 videos)
2023-09-14 Travbaneparken, Denmark Imago Female Egg-laying in the small rain water basin. Doing it directly into the soil, I think , is unusual. |
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2849
(4 photos)
2024-07-06 Teglstrup Hegn (nordsjælland), Denmark Imago Female Fandens Hul. Teneral. Not very obvious that it is this species, but it was big, it has greenish wide shoulder stripes and S8 is colored across the entire segment exactly as a cyanea normally is. Just this one seen. |
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2862
(2 photos BOTH SIDES)
2024-07-15 Horreby Lyng (Falster), Denmark Imago Female Young. With very thin stem to the frons-T. |
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2868
(1 photos)
2024-07-20 Bøtø (Falster), Denmark Imago Female Diget. Mature. At the edge of the forest warming up in the morning sun. |
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2960
(2 photos BOTH SIDES)
2024-08-01 Kongelundsområdet (Dragør), Denmark Imago Female NØ-vandhullet. |
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2973
(2 photos)
2024-08-15 Amager Fælled, Denmark POSITION Imago Female |
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3042
(2 photos)
2024-08-30 Bygholmparken (Horsens), Denmark Imago Male & Female Mating wheel. 5-6 meters above ground. A single pair matched up. Strangely, my first observation of a pairing of this common species. During my short visit I also had 3 single males. Last year I had a larger number at Sebberup just south of Horsens, thus, now giving me the impression that Eastern Jylland holds larger densities of the species than what is seen on Amager and Sjælland. The whitish base color of the wing marks of the male must indicate a younger individual. |
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3138
(1 photos)
2025-04-30 Søndermarken (Frederiksberg), Denmark Larva Sibirien. Ca. 5 cm. 1 larva caught by local school children. Clearly an Aeshna species, and id'ed to species level by known species present. Larva |