Episode 61: Green Frog – Voice of the Wild

This is Brodie with Illinois Extension and I’m here with a new “voice of the wild”

Superficially similar to, and often heard in combination with bullfrogs, this smaller frog shares the bullfrog’s splotchy olive skin and large tympanum, or eardrums, on either side of the head. Other than size, this frog has comparatively less webbing on the toes, a lighter and greener front, and distinct ridges running along the back. This is the green frog

While the green frog might look similar to the bullfrog, its call couldn’t be more different. It is often described by many as an explosive banjo pluck. Its a highly aquatic frog, with tadpoles that overwinter and emerge as frogs in the summer of that second year. Listen for the green frog in spacious ponds and lakesides especially in the northern and southern part of the state. Here’s the green frog again.

Thank you to the Macaulay library at the Cornell lab for today’s sound. Learn more about voice of the wild at go.illinois.edu/VOW