Western Chorus Frog
Western Chorus Frog Photo Credit: Scott Gillingwater
Psuedacris triseriata
Description
- Small (3 cm), smooth skinned tree frog that varies in colour from greyish-green to brown.
- Dark stripe through the eye and three dark stripes down the back.
- Whitish line along the upper lip.
- Belly is cream coloured.
- Small toe discs
Food
- Feeds on beetles, flies, mosquitoes and slugs.
Habits and Reproduction
- Breed early in the season beginning in late March and generally breed in areas where the water is at least 10 cm deep.
- Rasping breeding calls “cre-ee-ee-eek” sounds like a thumbnail drawn over the teeth of a small comb.
- Remain in the tadpole stage for approximately two months and live no more than a year as an adult.
- Secretive and rarely seen outside of breeding season.
- Forage for food in fields and open forest.
- Hibernate beneath leaf litter, logs or underground.
Habitat
- Meadows and forest openings around vernal pools (typically are dry later in the season and do not support fish).
Threats
- Loss of breeding sites and effects of pollutants such as herbicide and pesticides.
Conservation Actions
- Learn the call of the chorus frog and listen for them in early spring. Please report the areas where you hear them.
- Vernal pools are important habitat for many amphibian species. If you have them on your property, please try to leave them in their natural state.
Range Map
