Anura Hyla avivoca -- Bird-voiced Treefrog
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Purple shade indicates vouchered specimens. Light blue (cyan)
shade indicates photographic records. Yellow shade indicates verified
sighting. Slanted hatch indicates pre-1980 records only
NOTE: Not all specimens upon which these maps are based have been verified.
Key Characters: Smooth skin; large toe pads; light spot under each eye; green to yellowish green patches in groin and inner thigh.
Similar Species: Gray treefrogs.
Description: Small (up to 3.5 cm SVL) gray-brown or greenish treefrog with dark "X" or star-shaped mark in middle of back. Belly pale; throat pouch dark in male. Arms and legs with dark bars. Eyes relatively large. Pustule underneath joint of outer finger of hand usually divided. Male smaller than female.
Habitat: Baldcypress-tupelo swamps and nearby wet hardwood forests.
Natural History: This small frog can change color from dark gray to light green depending on temperature, moisture, and background. Adult diet includes small arboreal insects and spiders. Breeds mid-May to August. Male calls from tree (often quite high up), vine, or large shrub over water, the sound a rapid succession of short birdlike whistles. Eggs are laid in submerged packets that hatch in a few days into colorful tadpoles (dark brown with 3-7 red saddles and thin bronze head stripes) that transform in about a month.
Status: Threatened in Illinois. Threats include clearing and draining of baldcypress-tupelo swamps. Known only from extreme southern counties, where it is locally common in some good habitats.