Frog and Toad Data Collection

Monitoring Protocol: Upon Arrival

1. Enter volunteer and site information on the FrogWatch USA Datasheet

2. Record weather (abiotic) information required on the FrogWatch USA Datasheet

Monitoring Protocol: Upon Arrival

Beaufort Wind ScaleCode Definition Speed (mph)

0 – Calm Smoke rises vertically < 1

1 – Light Air Smoke drifts; slight movement of air

1–3

2 – Light Breeze Leaves rustle; wind felt on face

4–7

3 – Gentle Breeze Leaves and twigs in constant motion

8–12

4 – Moderate Breeze Moves small branches, dust, loose paper

13–17

5 – Fresh Breeze Small trees begin swaying 18–24

Reporting Calls and Intensities Heard

Record any comments under “Additional Notes:”

Monitoring Protocol1. Be quiet for at least 2 minutes before initiating the

monitoring session so frogs and toads acclimate to your presence.

2. Cup hands around your ears and listen quietly for precisely 3 minutes. Use a watch to time this duration accurately.

3. Listen to, identify, and remember all breeding calls occurring in the session.

If the monitoring session is interrupted by noise, restart it, including the 2 minute acclimation period.

Monitoring Protocol: Data Submission

• Volunteers share first four datasheets with chapter coordinators for review

• Submit all datasheets as soon as possible after each monitoring visit to:

frogwatch@aza.org or

FrogWatch USAAssociation of Zoos and Aquariums8403 Colesville Road, Suite 710Silver Spring, MD 20910

Frog and Toad Call Identification

Types of Vocalizations• Advertisement (breeding) call – dominant sound heard

during breeding season.• Aggressive (agonistic) call – a grunt, growl, or trill

sounded by a male when defending a calling site.• Release call – a chirp-like sound accompanied by body

vibrations.• Rain call – Weak version of the advertisement call,

typically following rain events outside the breeding season.

• Alarm call - a loud squeak emitted as a frog attempts to escape a predator.

Factors Influencing Call Frequency• Time of year – have a surge in activity

that will decrease as the season progresses.

• Time of day – peaks after sunset and tapers off around midnight

• Precipitation – activity tends to increase following rain events.

Factors Influencing Call Quality• Temperature – the lower (colder) the

temperature, the slower the call.• Size of individual calling – the larger the

individual, the lower the call.• Acoustic interference – evidence

suggests that frogs may call higher and less frequently.

• There are 14 species of frogs and toads in Minnesota• 3 toads species• 5 tree frog species• 6 true frog species

Minnesota Frog Species

• Green bars indicate calling and breeding activity in Minnesota.• Yellow bars indicates species that are very rare in Minnesota.• Gray area represents FrogWatch seasons

  Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May June July Aug. Sept. Oct. Nov. Dec.Spring Peeper                        

Wood Frog                        

Western Chorus Frog                        

Boreal Chorus Frog                        

Bullfrog                        

Northern Cricket Frog                        

American Toad                        

Green Frog                        

Great Plains Toad                        

Cope's Gray Treefrog                        

Northern Leopard Frog                        

Pickerel Frog                        

Canadian Toad                        

Gray Treefrog                        

Mink Frog                        

Blanchard's Cricket                        

Size: 2- 4 inches

Skin coloration is typically brown or reddish. One or two warts are present in each of the large dark blotches on their back. The white chest usually has dark speckles. The parotoid gland is typically separated from the cranial ridge.

American Toad(Anaxyrus americanus)Formerly Bufo americanus

© Jim Harding, MSU

American Toad

© USGS

Habitat: Mowed grassy yards to forested mountains. Wherever there is abundant moisture and insects. Reproduce in virtually any shallow and fish-free water body.

Range: Widespread throughout eastern North America.

American Toad

Voice: A pleasant musical trill lasting 5 to 30 seconds.

Call sounds like a simultaneous whistle and hum.

April– June

© Jim Harding, MSU

Green Frog(Lithobates (Rana) clamitans)

© Rachel Gauza

Size: 2 - 4 inches

Well-developed dorsolateral folds behind eye helps distinguish from similar-looking species.

Coloration is similar to the bullfrog but may be more brown than green.

Breeding males often have yellow-tinged throat.

Green FrogRange: Widespread throughout eastern North America.

Habitat: Lives close to shallow water, springs, streams, swamps, brooks, and edges of ponds and lakes. May be found among rotting debris of fallen trees. © USGS

Green FrogCall: like the twang of a loose banjo string, usually given as a single note.

Burst of sound that when given in rapid succession, will get progressively quieter.

April - September© Jim Harding, MSU

Size: 1 3/8-3 ¼ inches

Dark, masklike patch. Skin coloration is typically brown, but can range from reddish-brown to almost black.

The only North American frog found north of the Arctic Circle.

Habitat: Moist woodlands in eastern areas; open grasslands in western; tundra in the far north. Obligate seasonal pool breeder.

Wood FrogLithobates sylvaticus

© National Park Service

Wood Frog

Range: Widespread throughout northern part of North America

© USGS

Wood Frog

Voice: Series of short raspy quacks

Listen carefully! Call is somewhat muted and does not project or carry very far.

Calling begins as soon as ice starts melting from the edges of ponds.

© Jim Harding, MSU

Size: 1 ¼ - 2 inches

Gray to creamy white. This frog can change colors, so it can be anything from a mottled grayish green or solid green to a gray or creamy white color. The inner thighs on the hind legs of all gray tree frogs are yellow.

Habitat: Shallow wetlands near forests during breeding season. Forests and wooded areas during the summer.

Gray Treefrog(Hyla versicolor)

Gray TreefrogRange: Eastern United States through Minnesota and eastern Texas.

Gray Treefrog

Voice: A musical, birdlike trill. The call is similar to the Cope's gray treefrog, but slower. They may call while perched in tree branches.

May

Cope’s Gray Treefrog(Hyla chrysoscelis)

Size: 1 ¼ - 2 3/8 inches

It looks identical to the gray treefrog (H. versicolor) but differs by call and chromosome count.

Identified by yellow or orange inner legs and the light squarish spots beneath the eyes.

© Dick Bartlett

Cope’s Gray Treefrog

Range: Minnesota South to Texas and across to Florida.

Habitat: Trees and shrubs in or near ponds or other wetlands

© USGS

Cope’s Gray TreefrogCall: A hearty, raspy resonating trill, usually heard in spring and early summer.

Faster trill that is less musical than that of the identical-looking gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor)

Late March - JulyPeaking May - early June © Dick Bartlett

Spring Peeper(Pseudacris crucifer)

Size: ¾ -1 ½ inches

Tan with a dark X on its back.

Identified by dark “X” marking on the back that may appear complete or broken.

© Paul Crump, Houston Zoo

Spring Peeper

© USGS

Range: Common around the Mississippi River and east to the Atlantic Ocean, but lacking in south-central Florida.

Habitat: Wooded areas in or near temporarily flooded ponds and swamps.

Spring PeeperCall: High-pitched ascending whistle, sometimes with a short trill, given once per second, in a multiple-frog chorus: peep, peep, peep.

Agonistic call is a sharp prrreep, often confused with other chorus frog species.

Males call from shrubs and trees near water or tucked low in emergent vegetation.

Calling may begin in December and continues into March/early April

© Jim Harding, MSU

Size: ¾ - 1 ½ inches

Minnesota’s smallest frog.

Three dark stripes running from the head down the back. Color ranges from tan, to grays and reds.

Habitat: Wetlands and fields near trees, cities, Breed in shallow temporary wetlands and ditches

Western Chorus Frog(Pseudacris triseriata)

Western Chorus Frog

Voice: The call of the western chorus frog is a rising creeee that sounds like a fingernail being dragged across a comb.

The western chorus frog sounds very similar to the boreal chorus frog but the pulse rate is longer and slower for the western chorus frog.

March - April

Size: 1 - 1 ½ inches

Very similar in appearance to the western chorus frogs but legs are shorter. Brown, olive, tan, or green with a prominent black stripe on each side from the nostril through the eye and down the sides. Dark stripes down the back

Habitat: Shallow and temporary pools, moist meadows and forests near wetlands

Boreal Chorus Frog(Pseudacris maculata)

Boreal Chorus Frog

Voice: The call of the boreal chorus frog sounds like a fingernail being dragged across a comb.

March - April

Chorus FrogsRange: Across eastern and central North America from Easter Texas Through Northern Canada.

Size: 2-3 inches

The mink frog is blotchy green and brown with a pale underside and a conspicuous tympanum (eardrum). Males may have a bright yellow throat.

Habitat: Mink frogs prefer lakes and rivers with water lilies. Which they use to hide from predators and will hope along the top.

Mink Frog(Rana septentrionalis)

Mink Frog

Range: Across the Northeast part of the United States from Minnesota to Maine and into Canada.

Mink FrogVoice: A rapid cut, cut, cut resembling a hammer striking wood. When mink frogs call in chorus it sounds like horses' hooves on a cobblestone road.

May- July

Size: 2-3.5 inches

Once the most widespread frog in North America.

Leopard frogs receive their name from the leopard like spots on their body.

Habitat: Wet meadows, open fields, and forest edges near wetlands. Will breed in marshes, wetlands, and fishless ponds.

Northern Leopard Frog(Rana pipiens)

© MN DNR

Northern Leopard Frog

Range: Northern Midwest from the Dakotas through Ohio. A separate population ranges in the northern New England states.

Northern Leopard FrogVoice: A long, deep snore lasting several seconds and ending with a chuckling (chuck-chuck-chuck)

Late April- May

© USFWS

Minnesota State Amphibian

FREQUENTLY USED REFERENCES

• Consult local resources (e.g., State Dept. of Natural Resources, State Wildlife Agency, State Atlas, etc.)

• FrogWatch USA Species by State Lists: http://www.aza.org/states-and-territories

• National Amphibian Atlas: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/naa

• USGS Frog Call Look Up and Quiz: http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/frogquiz

• Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Macaulay Library (of Natural Sound): http://macaulaylibrary.org/

• Western Soundscape Archive: http://westernsoundscape.org

• eNature: http://www.enature.com

• AmphibiaWeb: http://amphibiaweb.org

• International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List - Amphibians: http://www.iucnredlist.org/initiatives/amphibians

• NatureServe Explorer: http://www.natureserve.org/explorer

• USGS Checklist of Amphibian Species and Identification Guide: http://www.nwrc.usgs.gov/sc_armi/frogs_and_toads/index.html

• The Frogs and Toads of North America. Lang Elliott, Carl Gernhardt, and Carlos Davidson. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2009.

Frogs and Toads of the Cabin Regions

Size: 2- 3 ½ inches

Skin coloration is gray, brown, or greenish. It has large blotches which have a strongly contrasting white border. The blotches contain several small warts. The chest is white with no speckles.

Habitat: Damp areas in grasslands and open fields.

Great Plains Toad(Bufo cognatus)

Great Plains ToadRange: The Great Plains region

Great Plains Toad

Voice: Great plains toads produce a loud, metallic trill that can last more than 20 seconds.

Spring- Summer Breeding activity is triggered by warm, heavy rains

Size: 2- 3 ½ inches

The Canadian toad is brown to green with darker brown, reddish, or black spots. Its underside is light with dark flecks, especially on the throat.

Habitat: Shallow wetlands, streams, and roadside ditches. In summer months found near prairie wetlands.

Canadian Toad(Bufo hemiophrys)

Canadian Toad

Range: Northwestern Minnesota through eastern North Dakota up through eastern Alberta and southwestern Manitoba

Canadian Toad

Voice: A clear trill very similar to the American Toad, but lower in pitch and shorter, lasting approximately five seconds.

May- June

Size: 1¾ - 3 inches

The pickerel frog has a pale brown background with brown spots in rows on back. Its underside is light-colored with yellow where the legs and body connect.

Habitat: Slow-moving waters and other damp areas preferably with low, dense vegetation; streams, swamps, and meadows

Pickerel Frog(Lithobates (Rana) palustris)

© Jim Harding, MSU

Pickerel Frog

Range: Throughout the East Coast, except in the very Southeast

© USGS

Pickerel FrogVoice: Steady, low, snore-like croak. Raspy in quality and may last up to 2 seconds. Similar to the leopard frog without the chuckle at the end.

May call in a rolling snore while under water.

April-May

© USFWS

Size: 3 – 8 inches.

The largest frog in North America.

Green skin coloration with yellow throat in males and white in females.

Habitat: Ponds, lakes, slow-moving streams with vegetation. (Must be large enough to avoid crowding).

© Jim Harding, MSU

American BullfrogLithobates catesbianus(formerly Rana catesibana)

© USGS

American BullfrogRange: Widespread throughout the United States. Native to eastern US; introduced in the west.

American Bullfrog

Call: Deep-pitched “jug o'rum” resembling the bellow of a bull.

Call can be heard for more than a quarter mile.

March - September

© Jim Harding, MSU

Size: 5/8 - 1 ½ inches

Among the most agile leapers and can jump surprisingly long distances (5 - 6 feet) for its small size.

Have greatly reduced toe pads, webbed toes, and long legs.

Skin appears warty and coloration is highly variable.

Northern Cricket Frog(Acris crepitans crepitans)

© Jim Harding, MSU

Northern Cricket Frog

Range: Southern New York to Florida panhandle; west to Texas.

Habitat: Sunny ponds of shallow water with good growth of vegetation in the water or on the shore; slow-moving streams with sunny banks.

© USGS

Northern Cricket FrogCall: Sharp, measured clicking,

repeated in rapid succession.

Call reminiscent of two glass marbles

being tapped together or the shaking

of a spray paint can.

March- August© Jim Harding, MSU

Size: .6- 1 ½ inches

They have warty skin that is tan, brown, gray or olive. With a broad light stripe down the back. A dark triangular mark is usually visible between the eyes on top of the head.

Habitat: Open edges of permanent ponds, lakes, bogs, seeps and slow-moving streams and rivers. They prefer open or partially vegetated mud flats, muddy or sandy shorelines, and mats of emergent aquatic vegetation in shallow water. Cannot tolerate any pollutants.

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog(Acris crepitans blanchardi)

Blanchard’s Cricket Frog

Range: Eastern United States. Small populations in Hennepin and Winona Counties. Documented in Chisago County in 1967.

Blanchard’s Cricket FrogVoice: Metallic clicking call, similar to the sound made when two pebbles are tapped together.

May- July

Very Rare!Classified as Endangered in

Minnesota