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Black-tailed Skimmer
Orthetrum cancellatum
3 photos
·1 photographer
·Common · 1 ptsMales powder-blue with black tip; sunbathes on bare ground.
3 community photos of Black-tailed Skimmer on Things With Wings. Top-rated shots often use around 1/1600ss shutter, 300mm.
Species Profile
Green List (not of conservation concern in the UK)
- Lifespan
- 2–3 months as adults; total lifecycle around 1–2 years from egg to adult
- Size & Weight
- 28–34 mm body length; wingspan 50–56 mm
- Habitat
- Still and slow-flowing freshwater bodies including ponds, lakes, gravel pits, and ditches with emergent vegetation.
- UK Distribution
- Widespread across southern and central England, Wales, and southern Scotland; resident species with populations strengthened by summer immigrants from continental Europe.
- Diet
- Carnivorous; hunts small flying insects including midges, gnats, small flies, and occasionally small dragonflies.
- Prey
- Midges, gnats, flies, and small insects caught in flight
- Predators
- Robber flies, larger dragonfly species, insectivorous birds (particularly flycatchers and swallows), and spiders
- Mating Season
- June to September
- Breeding
- Females lay eggs in batches by dipping abdomen into water; nymphs are aquatic and undergo incomplete metamorphosis with 10–12 instars over 1–2 years depending on water temperature.
Sources and editorial status
The short identification summary comes from the Things With Wings species catalogue. The extended species profile is AI-assisted and has not been individually reviewed by a wildlife expert, so verify important identification or conservation details with the specialist sources below.
Profile generated 24 June 2026
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Camera Settings (top photos)
Shutter
1/1600ss
ISO Range
200–6400
Aperture
f/f/5.6
Focal Length
300mm
