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PrintMissouri frogs breed between February and July. Listen to clips from the Missouri Department of Conservation to hear the differences between the breeding calls of 16 frogs and toads.
Click on the earphones below to listen to the breeding calls. Use the information at left to study Missouri frog calls, and then, at the bottom, try your hand at frog and toad identification at a local pond.
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- Here's an answer from the expert:
Roxie Campbell
Park Naturalist for the Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park - Try your hand at toad and frog surveying:
Use the above information to try to identify frog and toad species at this pond.
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, Grassland trailhead area
Approximately 7:30 p.m. March 14.
Hint: Sound isn’t your only clue, narrow your options by call seasons
- Southern Leopard Frog
(Rana sphenocephala)
Call: A series of abrupt, chuckle-like quacking sounds.
Approximate breeding call season: March through April - Pickerel Frog
(Rana palustris)
Call: A descending, low-pitched snore lasting for several seconds.
Approximate breeding call season: March through May - Green Frog
(Rana clamitans melanota)
Call: An explosive bong that sounds like a loose banjo string.
Approximate breeding call season: May through July - Bull Frog
(Rana catesbeiana)
Call: Male bullfrogs produce their familiar jug-o’-rum calls throughout the summer.
Approximate breeding call season: May through July - Plains Leopard Frog
(Rana blairi)
Call: A rapid series of guttural chuck-chuck-chuck sounds.
Approximate breeding call season: April through May - Nothern Crawfish Frog
(Rana areolata circulosa)
Call: A deep, loud, snoring gwwaaa can be heard from a considerable distance.
Approximate breeding call season: February through April
*Rare in Missouri
- Great Plains Narrow-mouthed Toad
(Gastrophryne olivacea)
Call: A high-pitched short peal that sounds similar to the buzz of a bee.
Approximate breeding call season: May through July - Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad
(Gastrophryne carolinensis)
Call: A bleating, nasal baaaa, which sounds like a lamb.
Approximate breeding call season: May through July - Western Chorus Frog
(Pseudacris triseriata)
Call: A rasping, vibrating prreeep, which sounds similar to running a fingernail over the small teeth of a pocket comb.
Approximate breeding call season: February through April - Northern Spring Peeper
(Pseudacris crucifer crucifer)
Call: Their voices are a true announcement of spring. Their high-pitched, peeping call can be heard on warm spring nights and also during the day in early summer and fall.
Approximate breeding call season: February through May - Cope's Gray Treefrog and Eastern Gray Treefrog
(Hyla chrysoscelis and Hyla versicolor)
Call: These two species are nearly identical in appearance and are best separated by their calls. Cope’s gray treefrog sounds like a buzzer, while the eastern gray treefrog has a birdlike, musical trill.
Approximate breeding call season: late April through June - Blanchard's Cricket Frog
(Acris crepitans blanchardi)
Call: A metallic gick, gick, gick.
Approximate breeding call season: May through July - Fowler's Toad
(Bufo flowleri)
Call: A short, nasal w-a-a-a-h, lasting from 1 to 2 ½ seconds.
Approximate breeding call season: May through June - Great Plains Toad
(Bufo cognatus)
Call: A loud, chugging sound—chee-ga, chee-ga, chee-ga—that lasts 20 to 50 seconds.
Approximate breeding call season: April through May
*Rare in Missouri - Eastern American Toad
(Bufo americanus americanus)
Call: A sustained, high-pitched musical trill.
Approximate breeding call season: late March through May - Plains Spadefoot
(Spea bombifrons)
Call: A long, rasping, nasal garvank.
Approximate breeding call season: April through June
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NOTE: No audio available for the Woodhouse's Toad.
Woodhouse’s Toad
(Bufo woodhousii)
Call: Similar to the Fowler’s toad but with a slightly lower pitch.
Approximate breeding call season: May through June
Comments
Thanks for this! Now I know that these guys I recorded are Northern Spring Peepers:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XTJ8qQcF...
I second Amber's thanks. My frog seduction skills are going to be amazing this spring.
They all sounded like Horny Toads, to me.