Have you heard any frogs lately?
In early spring male frogs call from ephemeral pools to attract females to mate with them. This week in Frick Park I’ve heard spring peepers calling in the wetland next to Nine Mile Run. The sound is so miraculous in the City(*) that I always stop to absorb it.
Spring peepers are loud but so tiny I couldn’t find them. Look how small they are compared to someone’s hand! Needless to say I didn’t see the “singers” in Frick Park.
Peepers aren’t the only ones calling. Right now you can hear wood frogs and others if you’re in the right habitat. But which ones?
PA Herps does statewide surveys to confirm the ranges of Pennsylvania’s native frogs (and much more). Based on the PA Herps Frogs and Toads List I made this table of the frogs and toads that still occur in western Pennsylvania west of the Allegheny Front. I added my own description to the calls I know; Sue added all the rest(*) with her comment.
Frog Sounds in Western Pennsylvania
| Frog Name | Description of Call |
|---|---|
| Eastern American Toad, Anaxyrus americanus | a whirring trill |
| Fowler’s Toad, Anaxyrus fowleri | Wraaah or baby balling (*) |
| Cope’s Gray Treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis | telephone ringing (*) |
| Eastern Gray Treefrog, Hyla versicolor | telephone ringing, slower than Cope’s (*) |
| Bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus | a low ‘hrrrrmp’ |
| Green Frog, Lithobates clamitans | a tuneless banjo twang |
| Pickerel Frog, Lithobates palustris | snores (*) |
| Northern Leopard Frog, Lithobates pipiens | creaky door (*) |
| Wood Frog, Lithobates sylvaticus | sounds like ducks quacking |
| Mountain Chorus Frog, Pseudacris brachyphona | fingers across a washboard or rubbing percussion sticks together (*) |
| Northern Spring Peeper, Pseudacris crucifer | LOUD! peeps, jingle bells -or- plinking the teeth of a comb |
| Western Chorus Frog, Pseudacris triseriata | fingers across a comb (*) |
| Eastern Spadefoot, Scaphoipus holbrookii | low-pitched “waah” (*) |
Click here on the PA Herps website to look up each frog including their photos and range map. To hear them, look them up here on the USGS Frog Quiz website. (Your computer must have QuickTime installed.)
If you know a lot of frog calls you can test your skills at the USGS Frog Quiz here. Don’t feel bad if you don’t recognize the calls. I tried the quiz and flunked immediately. It’s time to get outdoors and remedy that!
(*) p.s. The miracle of frogs in Frick Park is a complex of meanders and wetlands completed in 2006 by the Nine Mile Run Watershed Association and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Spring peepers found the wetlands on their own and now loudly pronounce them good for breeding every spring.
(photo of spring peeper calling by Justin Meissen via Wikimedia Commons. Photo of spring peeper on hand by Fungus Guy via Wikimedia Commons. Click on the captions to see the originals)
Fowler’s Toad: Wraaah or baby balling
Cope’s Gray Treefrog: telephone ringing
Eastern Gray Treefrog: telephone ringing, slower than Cope’s
Pickerel Frog: snores
Northern Leopard Frog: creaky door
Mountain Chorus Frog: fingers across a washboard or rubbing percussion sticks together
Western ChorusFrog: fingers across a comb
Eastern Spadefoot: low-pitched “waah”
Chirping tree frogs Late February in Louisiana drove me nuts outside my bedroom window for two years. I finally caught on when they shut up when bedroom light on. Now my backyard is lit up like daytime!! They make no noise during daylight hours.. Hope this helps someone else sleep. YEEEESS!!
You never cease to amaze me with just how much I learn from your blog!
Nice blog. I had no idea peepers were so small!
I completely agree with Joyce!!!
I loved this article and the links, because I have been trying to find out who has been making so much noise at our house! Eastern Gray Tree Frog is the most likely culprit.Thank you!
Hi Kate and others
My puzzle is a frog I think who is in Schenley Park right now (mid-late Sept 2017) heard around early morning, later afternoon. Single sounds, slower and deeper than a peeper. I know I’m posting on a 2015 thread but hoping someone reads this. There is a little chorus on lower Panther trail near the bridge before the visitor center. There may also be a little chorus over on Bridle trail.
Paula
Paul’s, those well could be spring peepers. They call again in the fall but they are slower.