Wandering Glider

The Wandering Glider is a member of the skimmer family Libellulidae and is famous as one of the most widespread dragonfly species in the world, found on every continent except Antarctica. Its broad, tapering hindwings give it an efficient, buoyant flight style that allows it to glide for extended periods with minimal wingbeats, an adaptation well suited to long-distance travel.

Colored golden-yellow to amber-brown, the Wandering Glider rarely perches, instead spending most of daylight hours foraging on the wing, sometimes in large loose swarms that drift across open country ahead of weather fronts. Its powerful flight and tolerance of temporary water for breeding allow it to colonize newly formed pools almost anywhere warm rainfall occurs.

This species is closely associated with seasonal monsoon rains and storm systems in many parts of its range, appearing suddenly in large numbers as rain-filled pools create fresh breeding habitat.

• Medium-large dragonfly with a golden-yellow to amber-brown body
• Hindwings notably broad at the base and tapering to a point, giving powerful gliding flight
• Rarely perches; usually seen foraging continuously in flight, sometimes in loose swarms
• Long, slender abdomen without strong dark banding
• Lookalikes: Spot-winged Glider (Pantala hymenaea) is similar but has a dark spot near the base of the hindwing, which the Wandering Glider lacks

Found nearly worldwide in warm regions, the Wandering Glider breeds in temporary rain pools, flooded fields, and other short-lived bodies of water, allowing it to exploit habitat unavailable to species that need permanent ponds. Adults are strong, wide-ranging fliers often seen far from any water, including over open fields, coastlines, and even far out at sea, and they are regularly associated with storm fronts and monsoon rains that create fresh breeding pools.

This species spends the vast majority of its adult life on the wing, gliding and soaring to catch small flying insects such as mosquitoes, midges, and flying ants, rarely stopping to perch except at night or in cool weather. Large aggregations sometimes form, drifting ahead of rain systems to exploit swarms of prey insects and to reach newly formed pools for breeding. As a highly mobile predator, it helps control small flying insect populations over wide areas and its rapidly developing nymphs are adapted to complete their aquatic stage before temporary pools dry out.

Females lay eggs directly into temporary pools, often without a male in attendance, taking advantage of rain-filled depressions that may only hold water for a few weeks. Nymphs develop unusually quickly compared to most dragonflies, sometimes completing the aquatic stage in as little as a month, an adaptation that lets them mature before their temporary habitat evaporates. Once mature, nymphs climb out of the water to transform into winged adults, which disperse widely and may fly enormous distances, sometimes crossing entire ocean basins, before breeding again.