Azure Hawker vs Lesser Smoothcap

Aeshna caerulea compared with Atrichum angustatum

Key Differences

• Azure Hawker is Least Concern while Lesser Smoothcap is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Azure Hawker	Lesser Smoothcap
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Bryophyta
Class	Insecta (Insects)	Polytrichopsida (Polytrichopsida)
Order	Odonata (Odonata)	Polytrichales (Polytrichales)
Family	Aeshnidae	Polytrichaceae
Genus	Aeshna	Atrichum
Species	Aeshna caerulea	Atrichum angustatum

Conservation Status

Azure Hawker

LC — Least Concern

Lesser Smoothcap

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Azure Hawker	Lesser Smoothcap
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Azure Hawker

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Norway and Sweden.

Lesser Smoothcap

Habitat

Native to Europe and North America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Found across Europe (5 countries) and North America (United States). Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Azure Hawker

The Azure Hawker (Aeshna caerulea) is a species in the genus Aeshna. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden