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FOR AGES 3 YEARS TO 18 YEARS
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
The migrant hawker, scientifically known as Aeshna mixta, is a dragonfly with markings of a yellow triangle on its abdomen. These dragonflies love water bodies and are most frequent on ponds, lakes, and gardens. The migrant hawker is a tiny hawker dragonfly. It spends a lot of time patrolling sheltered territory in the air and wildlife in small batches. Party of migrant hawkers collects over the garden to prey on insects, so ensure to check your garden during summer from July till autumn of November. They are in a large population in southern England. However, it has distributed itself to northern England and Ireland. The migrant hawker is common in and across Europe, southern areas of Europe, England, and North Africa all the way to Japan. The male species is blue, his abdomen is spotted, and the females are brown with the same spotting as males. They can be blue and yellow around the wing. Male species hover around and over still water wildlife in search of females in marginal vegetation.
Dragonflies are of the order Odonata, which means they are toothed jaw. These pointed mandibles are designed to engage with prey caught on the wing swiftly. They have strong wings to equip them in their flight. Dragonfly’s life is mostly spent in the water as larvae or nymphs. Many a time, migrant hawkers lay their eggs away from the water. Species like the golden-ringed dragonfly remain nymphs for several years. The larvae come out of the water to emerge. It then attaches to the stem of grass. The larval skin is broken swiftly, where it turns to adult, post an hour or two. The wings are tiring enough for the adult to take its first or maiden flight. Their life span is short. Adults dragonflies live for a couple of weeks. These aerial predators can be seen in their act of and on the wing during autumn.
To know more about dragonflies, you can also visit dragonfly facts and golden-ringed dragonfly facts.
The migrant hawker is a type of dragonfly, from the Aeshnidae family, with the scientific name Aeshna mixta. It appears mostly between July and November.
The migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta) is an arthropod of the class Insecta.
The total population of these flies across the world is unknown.
The migrant hawker is common across Europe, North Africa, and Asia. They are not endemic to one particular location.
Migrant hawker dragonflies live in the woods, tropical rainforests, wetlands, grasslands, southern tropical lands, woodlands, and near water bodies like ponds.
Migrant hawker dragonflies generally live in groups or pairs.
How long does a migrant hawker live?
A dragonfly's lifespan consists of 7-56 days in general. They have a short span of life.
Males in the wild hold the female hawker dragonfly by their neck with the claspers on the tip of his abdomen. If the female is interested, it will curl the tip of her abdomen under the male, also known as the wheel. In some species, they stay locked for several hours. Once done, the female hawkers fly off to lay their eggs into plants, or directly into the water, depending on the species.
Migrants hawkers are of Least Concern according to the IUCN.
Migrants hawkers are dragonflies that are brown and black in coloration, with darker shades. Males of this fly have a blue band, blue spots, and blue eyes. Females have the above yellow band on the thorax. The female also has yellow spots and brownish eyes. The migrant hawker is tiny and has too much brown on the body and wing than the rest of the dragonfly species. Some of their colorations also include green. They have short, thin legs, with great wings which help them to fly distances. Their wings are quite thin and can break easily, so one should not touch them as they are delicate in nature.
Migrant hawkers look cute for insects as they are harmless and appear quite amusing and adorable compared to other fly species.
Dragonflies use their purple, blue, green, and bronze colors to send signals to other insects. These color messages can also be to warn off predators, like birds.
They are around 3.9 in (9.9 cm), which is three times bigger than a grasshopper.
Migrant hawkers can fly at around 22-34 mph (35.4-54.7 kph). They are good flyers with great wing strength.
A migrant hawker (Aeshna mixta) weighs around 0.003 oz (0.1 g), which is quite tiny.
Both the male and female migrant hawkers are called dragonflies or migrant hawkers. They do not have sex-specific names to describe them.
They are called nymphs or larvae.
The nymph or the larvae can eat pretty much anything, but the adults feed on insects or anything that moves, right from tadpoles to small fish and bugs.
No, they are not dangerous.
Yes, they would make a good pet. But considering their short lifespan and unsure what their favorite diet is, it isn't easy to raise them. Also, it is rare for people to raise dragonflies as pets.
During late summer, large numbers of migrant hawkers arrive in Asia from Europe, boosting the population of the residents.
They produce around 1500 eggs per year.
Yes, it is the smallest dragonfly and prefers open areas like gardens or ponds.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these orange sulfur butterfly facts and orange tip facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable migrant hawker coloring pages.
Read The Disclaimer
At Kidadl we pride ourselves on offering families original ideas to make the most of time spent together at home or out and about, wherever you are in the world. We strive to recommend the very best things that are suggested by our community and are things we would do ourselves - our aim is to be the trusted friend to parents.
We try our very best, but cannot guarantee perfection. We will always aim to give you accurate information at the date of publication - however, information does change, so it’s important you do your own research, double-check and make the decision that is right for your family.
Kidadl provides inspiration to entertain and educate your children. We recognise that not all activities and ideas are appropriate and suitable for all children and families or in all circumstances. Our recommended activities are based on age but these are a guide. We recommend that these ideas are used as inspiration, that ideas are undertaken with appropriate adult supervision, and that each adult uses their own discretion and knowledge of their children to consider the safety and suitability.
Kidadl cannot accept liability for the execution of these ideas, and parental supervision is advised at all times, as safety is paramount. Anyone using the information provided by Kidadl does so at their own risk and we can not accept liability if things go wrong.
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