Norfolk Hawker no longer endangered as it spreads its wings
Once confined to a small area of East Anglia the Norfolk Hawker dragonfly is no longer considered endangered having established itself in Cambridgeshire, Kent and Herefordshire.
The species went extinct from the Cambridgeshire Fens in 1893 and, prior to 2013, its breeding sites were in the east of Norfolk and Suffolk.
Sightings and egg-laying have been recorded in Lancashire, South Devon, Dorset and Sussex
The recent colonisation of Norfolk Hawker in counties beyond Norfolk and Suffolk was most likely due to climate change, with habitat changes also playing a significant role, the Broads Authority said.
Dr Pam Taylor, from the British Dragonfly Society said: “Although the hawker’s overall range has expanded greatly, there are still huge gaps in its current distribution. It will need to infill many of these gaps before the species is truly secure in this country and only time will tell whether it will succeed.”
27 February 2024
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