A female globe skimmer dragonfly lifts off from Bonaire, heading on a journey that will carry her and millions of her kind across thousands of kilometers—part of migrations that crisscross our planet in ways scientists are only now beginning to understand. A new study from researchers at the universities of Exeter and Lund has confirmed what was once thought nearly impossible: that dragonflies and damselflies, some of Earth's most ancient and agile insects, are globe-trotting migrants on a scale that rivals far better-known travelers like birds and whales.
The research, published in Biological Reviews, reviewed global evidence and identified 100 confirmed dragonfly and damselfly species that migrate, with another 85 possible migrants waiting for further confirmation. This represents only 1.5% of all dragonfly and damselfly species—a small fraction until you consider the sheer numbers involved. These migrations can mobilize millions of individuals, with some species traveling thousands of kilometers across continents and oceans. The migrations have evolved independently at least four times in dragonfly families and twice in damselfly families, each species carving its own route through wind and weather.
What makes this discovery matter is both ecological and climate-related. Dragonflies and damselflies, despite their small individual size, move vast quantities of biomass and nutrients across ecosystems. They also control insect pests during their journeys. Perhaps more striking is what these insects reveal about resilience: most migratory species are listed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, suggesting their migratory habits may help them adapt to rapid environmental changes caused by human activity.
The globe skimmer offers a vivid example. This species undertakes long-distance migrations such as the 2,500-kilometer journey from northeast India to the Maldives, riding rain-bearing trade winds. Their nymphs develop rapidly in just 40 days, growing in rain puddles free of predatory fish. Genetic testing shows that globe skimmer populations worldwide are connected, making them true global citizens. Japan's red dragonfly, or "Akatane," practices a different strategy: after emerging as flying adults in late spring, these insects climb into the mountains to escape hot valleys, then return to breed in autumn when the weather cools—creating the stunning hillside swarms Japanese observers have documented for generations.
The vagrant emperor demonstrates how climate change is rewriting dragonfly geography. This species once rarely ventured beyond the Sahel in Africa and the Mediterranean, but within the last 40 years it has become a common breeder in the Mediterranean and now appears annually in the United Kingdom and Scandinavia. The four-spotted chaser, meanwhile, recalls a lost spectacle: 19th-century accounts from Belgium describe swarms consisting of "hundreds of millions of individuals," a phenomenon that has largely vanished in recent decades.
Unlike birds and mammals, most insect migrants do not complete round-trip journeys in a single lifetime. Instead, it is subsequent generations—the offspring of the dragonflies that once left—that return to breed in the original location. But the research also found evidence of single-generation migration, particularly in species that climb mountains to escape heat and drought. Dr. Johanna Hedlund of Lund University and Exeter's Center for Ecology and Conservation emphasized the broader significance: "Dragonflies provide important food for other migrating animals, as they form huge swarms that coincide with the migration of their predators." Bats, bee-eaters, falcons, and hawks all time their journeys to hunt these swarms. As wind patterns, rainfall, and temperatures shift with climate change, these ancient insect migrations—invisible to most of us, yet spanning continents—are quietly reshaping the planet's ecological networks.