Sounds of Pseudacris (=Hyla) regilla - Pacific Treefrog

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Male frog floating on water at night producing the avertising call.


Male being picked up across its back extending its throat pouch and producing the release call


This adult frog was found as seen here about 10 feet up in a tree producing the land call one afternoon in Thurston County, Washington.



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California

Northwest



Advertisement Calls


An advertisement call is produced by a male frog in order to attract females during the breeding season and to warn other rival males of his presence. The frogs typically 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.

The advertisement of the Pacific Treefrog is high-pitched, loud and two parted, typically described as rib-it, or krek-ek, with the last syllable rising in inflection.

(P. regilla is the most commonly heard frog in California, and its call is known throughout the world through its wide use as a night background sound in Hollywood movies, even those wich are set in areas well outside the range of this frog.)


This is a 4 second recording of the advertisement calls of a single male frog, recorded at night on the banks of a small pond in Yakima County, Washington. Insects can be heard in the background.
This is a 9 second recording of the advertisement call of single male frog recorded at night near the Columbia River in Klickitat County, Washington. This call is faster and higher in pitch than the Yakima frog.

This is a 10 second recording of a small group of frogs calling at night in San Joaquin County, California. Insects are heard in the background.
This is a 35 second recording of a large group of frogs calling at night from a pond in Del Norte County. It begins with one frog breaking the silence, then others quickly follow until the chorus rises in volume before it is faded out. This is the typical sound of a large chorus of these frogs, which often continues for more than ten minutes.


Enhanced Call

Pacific Treefrogs also produce a fast and intense one-part call referred to as the enhanced mate attraction call * (This call might also be used when another male is too close, like the trilled encounter call.)


   
This is a 12 second recording of the fast enhanced mate attraction call. * It was recorded at about 9,000 ft. in Alpine County in late June at the beginning of the breeding season when the snow was melting around the breeding pond. Another deeper single-note call is heard along with birds and flowing water.

 
Trilled Encounter Call

The trilled encounter call is made when a male frog gets too close to another male. It is a raspy trilled sound.

This is a 7 second recording of trilled encounter calls, recorded in Riverside County in mid March on a sunny afternoon. The recording starts with some typical advertisement calls, then ends with three trilled calls.

This is a 4 second recording of trilled encounter calls, recorded in Riverside County in mid March on a sunny afternoon. The recording begins with one trill and ends with a second one. Normal advertisement calls can also be heard.

Land Call

The land call is a prolonged one-note kr-r-r-ek sound made much of the year, especially when it is raining. Land calls can be heard during the day, often in wooded areas away from water. I have seen frogs produce this call while sitting on a tree branch.

 
This is a 17 second recording of land calls of a single frog during daylight in October on a wooded trail, King County, Washington. An airplane is heard in the background.

 
Release Call

The release call is made when another male frog attempts to mount the frog's back in amplexus. (See picture above left.) A frog will also produce this call if grabbed across the back by a human, and probably when grabbed by other predators.

 
This is a 5 second recording of 3 release calls produced by a male frog in breeding phase as it was grabbed across the back. (The frog was not harmed.) Recorded in Alpine County.

 
Watch a Short Video
A male treefrog calls while floating on a mountain pond during daylight.


You can listen to more recordings of Pacific Treefrogs on this cd:

*Carlos Davidson - Frog and Toad Calls of the Pacific Coast - Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology





 
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