# Band-winged Meadowhawk

*Sympetrum semicinctum*

The distinctive amber bands on their wings act as a visual disruption, making it harder for avian predators to track them mid-flight.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Odonata › Libellulidae › Sympetrum
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** wetland
- **Habitat:** Slow-moving streams, marshes, fens, and vegetated ponds.
- **Diet:** Flying insects, including mosquitoes, gnats, flies, and small moths.
- **Range:** United States, Canada
- **Size:** Length: 28-36 mm; Wingspan: 50-60 mm.
- **Lifespan:** Under 1 year (typically 1-2 months as a flying adult).
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Wetland degradation, water pollution from agricultural runoff, and heavy pesticide use.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. Band-winged Meadowhawks pose no threat to humans and do not bite or sting. You can safely observe them from inches away as they perch on shoreline vegetation. If one lands on you, enjoy the moment and let it fly away on its own.

## About

The band-winged meadowhawk ( Sympetrum semicinctum ) is a dragonfly of the genus Sympetrum belonging to the family Libellulidae....

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/801d52d7-ff5f-4d9b-8015-b95a2ca8e74a
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/113526
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sympetrum semicinctum
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/319990822/medium.jpeg (Bernie Paquette, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.