Bird-voiced tree frog facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bird-voiced tree frog |
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The bird-voiced tree frog (Dryophytes avivoca) is a small frog. It is found only in the United States. This frog belongs to the Hylidae family, which are often called tree frogs. These frogs usually live in forests, wetlands, and swamps. They are known for their special calls.
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What Does the Bird-Voiced Tree Frog Look Like?
The bird-voiced tree frog is a small frog. It grows to about 5 centimeters (2 inches) long. Its skin is usually a mix of pale grey or brown. The color can change depending on the temperature or how active the frog is. It might even look a bit green.
Often, you can see a dark brown cross-shaped mark on its back. It also has dark areas on its legs. Its belly is grey. The underside of its back legs has flashes of yellow. Male frogs have a dark throat.
This frog looks a lot like the larger gray tree frog (Dryophytes versicolor). However, the gray tree frog has orange flashes on its back legs. Both frogs have a whitish square mark just under their eyes. You can easily tell the bird-voiced tree frog apart in spring and summer. This is when it makes its special call.
Where Do Bird-Voiced Tree Frogs Live?
The bird-voiced tree frog lives in many parts of the southeastern United States. This includes states like Kentucky, Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama. You can also find them in Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Arkansas.
They prefer to live in wooded swamps. These swamps are usually near streams and rivers. Trees like cypress, birch, and tupelo grow there. You might also find buttonbush plants.
How Do Bird-Voiced Tree Frogs Behave?
Bird-voiced tree frogs usually live in trees. They rarely come down to the ground. They only do this when it's time to breed. These frogs are nocturnal. This means they are active at night. They come out at dusk to find food. They eat insects and other small invertebrates.
Breeding Habits of the Frog
Breeding happens in late spring and early summer. It usually takes place after heavy rains. The male frog calls from bushes and low plants. These are close to the edge of temporary pools or ponds. The sound is a fast, repeated "wit-wit-wit-wit."
The female frog lays many groups of eggs. Each group has about six to fifteen eggs. She lays them in shallow water. The tadpole stage lasts for about one month. Young frogs that have just changed from tadpoles are often seen in bushes. They might also move to new places when the weather is wet.
Is the Bird-Voiced Tree Frog Endangered?
The bird-voiced tree frog is listed as "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. This means it is not considered to be in danger. There seem to be many of these frogs where they live. Their numbers do not seem to be going down.
Clearing or draining the swamps where they live would be bad for them. However, this is not happening very much right now.
