Broad-bodied Chaser vs Eastern Forktail

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Broad-bodied Chaser Eastern Forktail
Scientific Name Libellula depressa Ischnura verticalis
Order Odonata Odonata
Family Libellulidae Coenagrionidae
Size 39-48 mm body length 21-33 mm
Habitat Gardens Ponds & Lakes
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Western Europe, Central Europe, Southern Europe North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Broad-bodied Chaser

A stocky dragonfly with a distinctly flattened, broad abdomen that is powder-blue in males and golden-brown in females. It is often the first dragonfly to colonise new garden ponds.

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Did You Know?

It can appear at a new garden pond within days of it being filled with water.

Eastern Forktail

A small damselfly where males are green and black with a blue tail tip. Young females are bright orange but turn olive-grey with age.

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Did You Know?

Young females are striking bright orange, a color they lose completely as they mature.