Brown-backed red marsh hawk
The male of this dragonfly turns almost entirely red, including a red tinge across its face, while the female stays a plain ochreous brown.
| Where | Streams, marshes and forest ponds |
|---|---|
| Size | 42 to 48 mm body length |
| When | January to December |
The Brown-backed Red Marsh Hawk is a medium to large dragonfly. The male has a vivid red abdomen and face over a brown thorax, while the female is ochreous brown throughout. A red frons separates it from other red dragonflies sharing its range.
It breeds in seepages, ponds, marshes, streams and rivers from lowland to upland country, including disturbed and nearly dried up streams, and males perch conspicuously at the water's edge.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
Red, Brown, Orange
Active
Day
To people
Perches at streamsides and pond edges; harmless to people.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Face and frons are not red, the main feature separating it from the red-faced Brown-backed Red Marsh Hawk when both perch along the same streams.
Questions
Is the Brown-backed red marsh hawk dangerous to people?
Perches at streamsides and pond edges; harmless to people.
When can you see the Brown-backed red marsh hawk?
The Brown-backed red marsh hawk can be seen from January to December, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by Rahul R Nath, CC BY‑SA 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
The plate on this page is shared under the same licence as its source, CC BY-SA.
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Dragonflies and damselflies›Skimmers›Orthetrum
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.