Dragonflies are amazing insects that have been around for over 300 million years. They are fast flyers with excellent eyesight that makes them great hunters. But dragonflies themselves often end up as prey for other animals. In this article, we’ll take a look at what eats dragonflies throughout their life cycle.
Dragonfly Life Cycle
Before looking at their predators, it helps to understand the dragonfly life cycle. Dragonflies have three main stages in their life
Egg – The female dragonfly lays eggs in or near water.
Nymph – The egg hatches into a nymph that lives underwater for months or years. The nymph molts several times as it grows.
Adult – Finally, the nymph crawls out of the water, molts one last time, and emerges with wings as a fully grown dragonfly. The adult stage last anywhere from a few months to a year.
Dragonflies are vulnerable to different predators at each stage. Next, we’ll cover some of the most common.
8 Animals that Eat Adult Dragonflies
Adult dragonflies face the biggest range of predators as they fly around ponds, rivers, and wetlands. Birds make up the bulk of their predators.
1. Flycatchers
Small insect-eating birds called flycatchers are a major predator of adult dragonflies. There are over 30 species of flycatchers in North America, including kingbirds, phoebes, and peewees. These agile fliers snap up dragonflies mid-air.
2. Falcons
Large falcons like the American kestrel can catch and eat adult dragonflies. They use their speed and sharp talons to grab dragonflies in flight. Falcons have been observed stealing dragonflies caught by smaller flycatchers.
3. Nighthawks
As their name suggests, nighthawks hunt for insects like dragonflies at night. Though not as fast as falcons, they take advantage of dragonflies’ lower activity levels after dark. Their huge mouths help them scoop up flying insects.
4. Swallows
These fast flying birds are designed to catch insects on the wing. Swallows perform aerial acrobatics to snatch up dragonflies and can match their speed and agility. They may prefer larger dragonfly species.
5. Wasps
Large predatory wasps are known to kill and eat smaller dragonfly species after piercing them with their stingers. They are strong fliers that can chase down dragonflies.
6. Raccoons
Near water sources, raccoons will snatch up dragonflies as a tasty treat. They hunt dragonflies mainly at night when the insects are more vulnerable. Raccoons focus on slower, easier to catch species.
7. Sundew Plants
Sundews are carnivorous plants with sticky leaves that can trap landing dragonflies. The dragonfly becomes stuck to the leaf and is slowly digested by enzymes. Sundews attract flying insects with sweet smelling nectar.
8. Praying Mantises
Mantises use stealth and camouflage to ambush passing dragonflies from vegetation around ponds and wetlands. Their strike is extremely quick, grasping prey with barbed front legs.
6 Predators of Dragonfly Eggs, Larvae & Nymphs
The egg and immature stages of dragonflies face dangers lurking below the water’s surface. Here are some of their key aquatic predators:
1. Fish
All types of fish consume dragonfly nymphs and eggs as part of their diet. Dragonfly eggs are small and fish find them readily available in the shallows. Nymphs are snatched from underwater stems and the bottom substrate.
2. Ducks
Dabbling ducks like mallards filter feed on dragonfly larva and eggs as they dip their heads underwater. Wading birds also probe the water’s edge for nymphs.
3. Salamanders
Aquatic salamanders inhabit the same ponds and streams as dragonfly nymphs. They chase down and eat nymphs and readily consume any dragonfly eggs they encounter underwater.
4. Frogs
Like salamanders, frogs share habitat with nymphs and make a frequent meal of them. Their long, sticky tongues allow them to grab nymphs on pond bottoms and vegetation. Frog tadpoles may also eat dragonfly eggs.
5. Water Spiders
Water spiders are able to walk on the water’s surface. They hunt for emerging nymphs and find dragonfly egg masses laid near the waterline to feed on.
6. Water Bugs
Giant water bugs are large aquatic insects that prey on dragonfly nymphs and naiads. They seize them with sharp front legs then inject immobilizing saliva.
How Dragonflies Avoid Becoming Prey
Dragonflies have some defensive abilities that help them evade predators:
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Speed – Their ability to fly very fast, up to 30 mph, helps them escape predators.
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Maneuverability – Dragonflies can hover, fly backwards, and change direction instantly while flying. This makes them hard to catch.
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Camouflage – Nymphs are camouflaged to blend into aquatic plants and substrate, avoiding fish, ducks, etc.
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Nocturnal Avoidance – Dragonflies are generally inactive at night when nighthawks, owls, and bats do most hunting.
Dragonflies play an important role in freshwater food chains as both predator and prey. Their vulnerable egg and nymph stages face threats from below the water’s surface. Once they emerge with wings, dragonflies must contend with nimble birds, crafty spiders, and other insects to survive. Their amazing speed and flight abilities help them avoid becoming a meal themselves.
The Duck Doctors are in, sharing insights from the wild!
Dragonflies are fascinating creatures and important indicator species for wetland ecosystems. But do you know what they eat and how dragonflies hunt for prey?
Ducks Unlimited Canada (DUC) biologist Ash Pidwerbesky delivers the scoop on this fascinating episode of Duck Doctors. You may be amazed to learn that those dainty dragonflies flitting across the pond are actually ferocious predators on the hunt! “
While most people are familiar with what eggs and adult dragonflies look like, many don’t know that dragonfly larvae, called nymphs, live in the water. Both nymphs and adult dragonflies are as ferocious predators as dragons in books!
Dragonflies and nymphs have excellent sight and can see almost 360 degrees around themselves as they hunt. If that isn’t scary enough, dragonfly nymphs have a unique, retractable lower jaw with pincers that they shoot out to snatch their prey in the water.
So, what do they eat? Pidwerbesky explains that dragonflies and nymphs have quite different diets:
- Nymphs eat mainly aquatic insects, insect larvae and small crustaceans, but will also eat tadpoles and small fish.
- Adult dragonflies eat flies, butterflies, moths, beetles, wasps, bees, mosquitoes — and even other dragonflies.
People often ask us hopefully whether dragonflies eat mosquitoes. While the adults do catch and eat mosquitoes, they’re not a primary source of their nutrition. But let’s go back to that pond, where the nymphs are busy eating the mosquito larvae before they even have a chance to mature.
And as nesting season begins, the ducks will get in on it too. Many ducks include mosquito larvae among the aquatic invertebrate species they eat as part of their wild diets.
Want to see more?
Check out the Duck Doctors playlist on YouTube to watch DUC scientists with insights into wetlands, waterfowl and wildlife — from the people who study them, including:
- What do ducks eat? Answered by DUC research scientist Lauren Bortolotti
- There’s a duck nest in my yard. What should I expect and what should I do? Answered by DUC conservation scientist Vanessa Harriman.
What Do Dragonflies Eat? Discover Their Carnivorous Diet and Hunting Skills!
FAQ
What are the predators of the dragonfly?
What are the natural enemies of dragonflies? Common predators of dragonflies are frogs and fish, when dragonflies are in their larval stage, and birds and spiders, when dragonflies are in their adult stage. They will even eat each other.
What kind of bird eats dragonflies?
Black-and-yellow Broadbill, Eurylaimus ochromalus, catches and eats a dragonfly insect.
What is the biggest threat to dragonflies?
- Habitat Destruction. Agriculture and urban development has led to the draining and destruction of wetlands, negatively affecting dragonfly habitats.
- Pollution. …
- Climate Change.
What is the purpose of a dragonfly?
Dragonflies are important to their environments both as predators (particularly of mosquitos) and as prey to birds and fish. Because these insects require stable oxygen levels and clean water, scientists consider them reliable bioindicators of the health of an ecosystem.
Who eats dragonflies?
Both adult dragonflies and their eggs are eaten by a large group of predators. Adult dragonflies are mostly eaten by small birds. It’s small birds that are fast enough to catch fast-flying dragonflies. Here are the most common species that eat these Odonata-genus insects. 1. Flycatchers 36 species of flycatchers are native to North America.
Do frogs eat dragonflies?
The amphibian group, specifically frogs and toads, consume dragonflies, often catching them by surprise near water bodies. Dragonflies often fall prey to other insect hunters such as wasps and larger dragonflies known as dragon hunters. Bats utilize echolocation to hunt dragonflies during their nocturnal flights.
What do Dragonflies eat?
Dragonflies are predators that eat all types of insects such as mosquitoes. In turn, they are also seen as prey by many other species of insects, arachnids, mammals, and bugs. Dragonflies spend most of their lives next to water sources such as ponds. This means their predators are also animals or insects that live near water sources.
Do dragonflies have predators?
Strangely enough, some of these big insects’ predators aren’t even animals; they’re plants. Juvenile and mature dragonflies have different sets of predators. In the aquatic larval stage, their primary predators are ducks, amphibians such as toads and newts, fish and bigger damselfly and dragonfly larvae.
Do birds eat dragonflies?
Unfortunately for them however, they aren’t the only ones looking for a tasty snack, and all kinds of animals enjoy a dragonfly on the go every now and then. Many bird species, such as kingfishers, swallows, and hawks, feed on dragonflies. They often catch them in flight or while perched.
How does a dragonfly catch and eat flies?
Dragonflies catch larger insects like flies by first trapping them with their front legs. Once trapped, the dragonfly uses its powerful serrated jaws (mandibles) to clamp down and shred the wings of the prey, thereby immobilizing it. Smaller insects like mosquitoes are caught directly by the mouth.