Sounds of Bufo punctatus - Red-spotted Toad

Advertisement Calls

An advertisement call is the most well-known call of a frog. It is produced by a male frog in order to attract females during the breeding season and to warn other rival males of his presence. Frogs usually make the calls around bodies of water that are suitable for breeding and egg laying. These calls can be heard during the evening and at night, and sometimes during daylight at the peak of the breeding season.

This toad's call is a prolonged high-pitched musical trill, lasting up to 10 seconds, which is produced at night from the edge of shallow water, usually during or after rains.

This is a 9 second recording of a toad calling at night while floating on the water of a small artificial desert pond in San Diego County.

This is a 28 second recording of the nocturnal advertisement calls of a few male Red-spotted toads calling from a small puddle in Pima County, Arizona in August. Crickets can be heard in the background.

Release Calls

A release call is produced by a male toad or an unreceptive female toad when a male toad or other animal gets on its back and grabs its sides in the position used for mating or amplexus. It's a toad's way of saying "Get off my back! Let go!"