While at a regatta in Aiken, South Carolina, I was lucky enough to encounter a small frog crossing my path. Immediately noticeable was the tiny creature's toe pads making it easy to distinguish as Hyla. Closer examination of it's dorsal coloration pattern and hind leg coloration, I was able to identify it as a Bird-voiced Treefrog, Hyla avivoca, with assistance from A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians: Eastern and Central North America. Life History and Identification: The Bird-Voiced Treefrog is generally found in the South: Mississippi, Alabama, through the middle of Georgia and the very southwest edge of South Carolina. Normally found in wooded swamps and larger waterways in the South, it made sense I came across it near the woods and the large pond where we were racing.
Only growing to a size of 1 1/8 - 1 3/4 inches, this frog can often be confused with the Squirrel Treefrog, Hyla versicolor or chrysoscelis. The important difference to look for is the coloration of the hind legs. The Squirrel Treefrog has bright orange on the concealed surfaces of its hind legs, while the Bird-Voiced Treefrog has a pale yellowish-green to yellowish-white on its hind legs. A light spot will also be present beneath the eye.
This little bugger was quick so I was unable to snag a picture, but the one above most closely resembled the coloration pattern of the one I saw. Patterns can vary greatly among this species!
1 comment:
Definitely could have been H. avivoca. As we saw on our field trip on Thursday, some of these Hyla can be very tricky to ID!
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