| Bird-voiced tree frog | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Adult male calling | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Anura |
| Family: | Hylidae |
| Genus: | Dryophytes |
| Species: | D. avivoca |
| Binomial name | |
| Dryophytes avivoca (Viosca, 1928) | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
The bird-voiced tree frog [2] (Dryophytes avivoca) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, endemic to the United States. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, shrub-dominated wetlands, and swamps.
The bird-voiced tree frog is a small species growing to about 5 cm (2.0 in) long. It is usually a dappled, pale grey or brown on its dorsal surface, but its color changes with the temperature and its level of activity, and may be more or less pale green. It often has a dark brown cross-shaped mark on its back and further dark areas on its limbs. Its belly is grey with flashes of yellow on the underside of its hind legs. The male has a dark throat. This frog is very similar to the larger gray tree frog (Dryophytes versicolor), but that species has an orange flash on its hind legs. Both have a whitish square region just underneath the eyes. The bird-voiced tree frog is easily distinguishable during the spring and summer when it gives its characteristic call. [3] [4] [5]
The bird-voiced tree frog is found over much of the southeastern United States, including Kentucky, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Its favored habitat is wooded swamps near streams and rivers where the dominant species include cypress, birch, tupelo, and buttonbush. [1]
The bird-voiced tree frog normally lives in trees, seldom descending to the ground except to breed. It is nocturnal and emerges at dusk to forage for insects and other small invertebrates. Breeding takes place in late spring and early summer, usually after heavy rains. The male calls from bushes and low vegetation close to the edge of temporary pools or ponds. The sound is a rapid, repetitive "wit-wit-wit-wit". The female lays a number of batches of six to fifteen eggs in shallow water. The tadpole stage lasts for about a month and the newly metamorphosed juvenile frogs are often seen in bushes or dispersing to other localities in wet weather. [4]
The bird-voiced tree frog is listed as being of "Least Concern" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It seems to have large populations in the areas in which it occurs and there seems to be no noticeable decline in numbers. Clearing or draining the swamps in which it lives would be deleterious, but is not happening to any great extent. [6]
The gray treefrog is a species of small arboreal holarctic tree frog native to much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.
Cope's gray treefrog is a species of treefrog found in the United States and Canada. It is almost indistinguishable from the gray treefrog, and shares much of its geographic range. Both species are variable in color, mottled gray to gray-green, resembling the bark of trees. These are treefrogs of woodland habitats, though they will sometimes travel into more open areas to reach a breeding pond. The only readily noticeable difference between the two species is the mating call — Cope's has a faster-paced and slightly higher-pitched call than D. versicolor. In addition, D. chrysoscelis is reported to be slightly smaller, more arboreal, and more tolerant of dry conditions than D. versicolor.
The Pine Barrens tree frog is a species of New World tree frog. It is becoming rare due to habitat loss.
The squirrel tree frog is a small species of tree frog found in the south-eastern United States, from Texas to Virginia. This is an introduced species in the Bahamas. Squirrel tree frogs are small frogs, about 1.5 inches in length as adults. There are several color variations, but most commonly they are green and look very much like the American green tree frog. They can also be varying shades of yellow or brown, sometimes with white or brown blotching.
The canyon tree frog is a species of tree frog native to the rocky plateau areas of southern United States, primarily in New Mexico and Arizona, but it also ranges to Utah, Texas, and Colorado, and as far south as the Mexican states of Michoacán, México, Guanajuato, Guerrero, and Oaxaca.
Dryophytes gratiosus, commonly known as the barking tree frog, is a species of tree frog endemic to the south-eastern United States. Formerly known as Hyla gratiosa.
Charadrahyla nephila is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Mexico and occurs in the Sierra de Juárez and Sierra Mixe in the northern Oaxacan highlands; there is also a questionable record from the Sierra de los Tuxtlas, Veracruz. Prior to its description, it was mixed with Hyla chaneque. The specific name nephila is derived from Greek nephos ("cloud") and philia ("fondness"), referring to the cloud forest habitat of this species. Common name Oaxacan cloud-forest treefrog has been coined for it.
Dendropsophus stingi is a species of frogs in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Colombia and occurs on the eastern slope of the Cordillera Oriental in the Boyacá Department. The species was named after celebrity musician Sting in recognition of his "commitment and efforts to save the rain forest". Despite this, common name Kaplan's Garagoa treefrog has been coined for it.
Dryophytes arboricola, commonly known as the arboreal treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to the Sierra Madre del Sur in Guerrero state, Mexico.
Bocourt's tree frog, or Bocourt's treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to Guatemala and found on the mountains of the southern Alta Verapaz Department and Baja Verapaz Department. It is named after Marie Firmin Bocourt, a French zoologist and artist.
Dryophytes eximius, commonly known as the mountain tree frog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to Mexico. Its natural habitats are mesquite grasslands, scrub forests, and pine-oak forests. It is a widely distributed species that faces no major threats.
The pine woods tree frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, endemic to the southeastern United States.
The Italian tree frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, found in Italy, Slovenia, Switzerland, and possibly San Marino. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, arable land, and urban areas. It is threatened by habitat loss.
The Shensi tree frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to China. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, and irrigated land. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Wright's mountain tree frog is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in Mexico and the United States. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, temperate grassland, rivers, and freshwater marshes. Dryophytes wrightorum has been regarded as a synonym of Dryophytes eximius, the mountain tree frog, which is listed as the state amphibian of Arizona. As presently circumscribed, Dryophytes eximius is endemic to Mexico and does not occur in Arizona. It is the state amphibian of Arizona.
Leptopelis ragazzii is a species of frog in the family Arthroleptidae. The species is endemic to the Ethiopian Highlands on both sides of the Great Rift Valley. Common names Ragazzi's tree frog and Shoa forest treefrog have been coined for it. It is named after Vincenzo Ragazzi (1856–1929), from the Modena Natural History Society, who explored and collected in Ethiopia.
Dryophytes suweonensis, the Suweon treefrog or Suwon treefrog, is a species of frog in the family Hylidae endemic to the Korean Peninsula probably from the Imjin River to the Mangyeong River, south of Iksan. Its distribution and population have been assessed to be below 800 individuals and the status of the species has been updated as Endangered by the IUCN. The natural habitat of the species has been generally transformed into rice fields and it is threatened by habitat loss.
