The range in the Western Palearctic covers a large part of Europe, to Scotland and southern Scandinavia in the north and to Italy (without the southwest) and the northern Balkans in the south); the eastern boundary is formed by the Urals and the western by Ireland.

On the forehead there is a black spot in the form of the letter T. The wings are hyaline with a dark pterostigma.

Flight period of these insects lasts from June to October, with some specimen visible in May and November.

The females are quite inconspicuous when they lay their eggs, but they sometimes give away their spot by clattering up from the reeds.

While looking quite imposing with its relatively large size and voracious appetite for other insects, the Southern Hawker is completely harmless to humans.