Eastern pondhawk vs Widow skimmer

These two are easy to mix up. Here's how to tell an eastern pondhawk from a widow skimmer, and whether either one bites or stings.

≠The key differences

Widow skimmers are larger and males have broad dark wing bands; females are more patterned and overall bulkier than Eastern pondhawks.

	Eastern pondhawk	Widow skimmer
To humans	Non-toxic	Non-toxic
Size	35-45 mm body length	Body length 40-55 mm; wingspan about 80-95 mm
Colours	Powder blue, Leaf green, Dark greenish-black, Clear/transparent (wings)	Black, White, Brown, Yellow, Pale blue-grey (pruinescence)
Family	Libellulidae	Libellulidae
Habitat	Still or slow-moving fresh water: ponds, marshes, ditches, retention basins and slow streams with vegetation	Still or slow-moving freshwater: ponds, marshy lakeshores, oxbow lakes, slow streams with emergent vegetation and open perches nearby.
Range	Eastern and central North America, from southern Canada through much of the United States and into parts of Mexico	Widespread across much of the United States and southern Canada; ranges from southern Canada south through much of the U.S., less common in far western arid regions.
Active	Warm months (spring to autumn); most active daytime, especially sunny hours	Mainly spring through late summer; most active during warm daylight hours.
Pest?	No	No

Male adults: powder-blue body (pruinose), including the thorax, with a green face and clear wings.
Females and immature males: bright leaf-green body with black bands on the abdomen.
Perches low near the water on emergent vegetation and makes short, agile flights while hunting.

Look for broad dark patches covering the inner half of each wing; in mature males these are followed by a white band.
Males have a powdery white (pruinescent) abdomen that obscures earlier markings; females are brown with yellow lateral markings.
Perches openly on exposed twigs, posts or vegetation near water; wings held flat at rest typical of skimmers.

Widow skimmers are larger and males have broad dark wing bands; females are more patterned and overall bulkier than Eastern pondhawks.

Eastern pondhawk: Non-toxic. Widow skimmer: Non-toxic. Not dangerous to people. Widow skimmers are not venomous and do not pose a medical threat.

Identification from photos is never certain: don't handle insects you can't identify, and get medical advice for bites, stings or allergic reactions.