The common winter damselfly is a medium-sized damselfly with a wingspan of four to five centimeters. Its abdomen is light brown in color and features a metallic copper sheen. Males and females of this species are very similar in appearance.
The common winter damselfly is one of the very few damselflies that overwinter as adults, usually several kilometers away from water, on wind-protected forest edges. Winter damselflies do not reach sexual maturity until spring. They return to the water to mate when the sun comes out in late March or early April.