Rufous marsh glider
Young males share an identical yellow striped pattern with females, then turn almost entirely red as a waxy bloom spreads over the body with age.
| Where | Marshes, weedy ponds and lakes |
|---|---|
| Size | 41 to 44 mm body length |
| When | January to December |
The rufous marsh glider is a medium sized dragonfly. Mature males are red throughout, with reddish brown to scarlet eyes, a red thorax and a red abdomen, while females and young males are brown with a yellow stripe running along the back that becomes hidden under a waxy red bloom as males age.
It breeds in open marshes, weedy ponds and lakes rather than forest pools. Females usually perch low on waterside plants, while males often rest flat on floating leaves rather than on the tips of emergent stems favoured by many other species.
Traits
Habitat
Wetland
Colour
Red, Brown, Yellow
Active
Day
To people
Not known to bother people; adults simply hunt small flying insects over open water.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Both are red dragonflies with red eyes, but on the rufous marsh glider the eyes barely touch at a point and the abdomen carries no black dorsal stripe, while the scarlet skimmer's eyes meet broadly and its abdomen shows a black stripe down the back.
Questions
Is the Rufous marsh glider dangerous to people?
Not known to bother people; adults simply hunt small flying insects over open water.
When can you see the Rufous marsh glider?
The Rufous marsh glider can be seen from January to December, by day.
Plate retouched from a museum specimen photo by Naturalis Biodiversity Center, CC0, GBIF Licence
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Dragonflies and damselflies›Skimmers›Rhodothemis
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.