Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla versicolor)
By Corey • July 3, 2008 • 11 commentsRecent visits to Jamaica Bay, in addition to providing a wealth of bird sightings, have allowed me to see some Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla versicolor) up close and personal. They are particularly likely to be found hiding in cracks and crevices in the bird blind at Big John’s Pond, a fact I read quite some time ago in a post by The City Birder. So now every time I make my way over to the blind to look for Barn Owls I take a moment or two to see if the frogs are present and visible.
Gray Tree Frogs, according to Wikipedia, are also known as North American common tree frogs, and can change color from their namesake gray to a light green, but much more slowly than a chameleon. The underside of the frogs’ legs is a bright orange-yellow, but one can typically only observe this coloring if one has a frog in hand or manages to get a good look at one jumping. They are widespread over the United States and Canada, and can be found almost everywhere in New York State.
Apparently, they also make easy-to-care-for pets, though we here at 10,000 Birds actively discourage people removing creatures from the wild, no matter how cute they may be.
So the next time you are at Jamaica Bay, or, for that matter, any wet, forested area in North America, keep an eye out for these easy-to-hear-but-usually-difficult-to-see frogs. You won’t regret it!
Cool Corey - next time I’m in NY I want to see one (not as much as I want to see a Saltmarsh Sparrow of course, but quite a lot!)…
“Gray Tree Frogs, according to Wikipedia, are also known as North American common tree frogs”
Ha! That’s ridiculous. Never heard that one before.
These are great frogs (my favorite NY species). I should post a few of my own pictures.
~ Nick
Gray Tree frogs are my All time favorite frogs! My alarm in the morning is of the Gray Tree Frog calling! Nick, only known them as Gray Tree Frog!
I was picking raspberries yesterday, in central KY, and saw two tiny, tiny frogs, about the size of my fingernail. I don’t know what they are, and with this crummy rural dialup I’m not going looking for them. One of my very favoritest tho, some look as if they have been sprinkled with gold dust. They are beautiful in a shaft of sunlight. They were close together on the same leaf, Mr. and Mrs. Frog I reckon. The day was humid and the house was cool, so there was no point in getting the camera, the lens would have fogged immediately. I don’t know why, but the thought of a clean dry cloth eluded me at the time. Nearby on another leaf, tucked up under an overhanging leaf, was a Gray Tree Frog. Time to pick the berries again, camera ready this time. Thanks for the post, rb
i found one of these guys in hampden, yesterday on the garage door. it sat on my hand and didn’t seem to be in a hurry to go anywhere. I finally convinced him to jump off onto the rock wall. He must eat well, he was full-figured compared to some of the pics i’ve seen.
Spring/Summer 2008 must be year of the grey tree frog here in Pennsylvania, because I came across some 15 frogs this evening. I captured most of them on the roadways surrounding my community and released them back into a wildlife reserve a mile or two from my home. I returned home only to find 4 more grey tree frogs hanging around the front porch light awaiting dinner (moths). In the past several years these frogs were no where to be found. I find it quite perplexing as to why so many have been found around our home this year. I’m guessing a wet Spring brought about a lot of mating, and this is the reason I’m spotting so many. Lovely little creatures to observe and study.
I live in Indiada and I have always loved frogs. Tree frogs are my very favorite. I tried to find my newly found pets on the internet and they call them Grey Tree Frogs. My frogs are green most of the time. I have one that is almost all green with no bark looking marks at all. I’m trying to rescue them. There are less and less of them every year so I catch as many as I can while they are little and take care of them then I lit them go where I know they will be a lot safer then where I found them. Sometimes I keep them over winter to ensure they will be big and strong to make it outside alone.
@Kellie: While I’m sure your motives are pure please, unless you are finding them in the middle of the road, just let the frogs be. While you may think that you are helping them, removing them from the wild is not helping. Remember, these frogs have managed to survive as a species for millions of years without help.
The Cope’s Grey Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis) is a species of tree frog which is found in the United States. It is almost indistinguishable from the Grey Tree Frog, Hyla versicolor, and shares much of its geographic range. Both species are variable in color, mottled gray to gray-green, resembling the bark of trees. These are tree frogs of woodland habitats, though they will sometimes travel into more open areas to reach a breeding pond. The only readily noticeable difference between the two species is the call–Cope’s has a faster paced, and slightly higher pitched, call than H. versicolor. In addition, H. chrysoscelis is reported to be more slightly smaller, more aboreal, and more tolerant of dry conditions than H. versicolor (Martof et al., 1980). The range of H. chrysoscelis is more southerly–it is apparently the species found in the lower elevation Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia and the Carolinas. In those areas, H. versicolor may be present only in the Appalachians (Martof et al. 1980). The Bird-voiced Tree Frog, Hyla avivoca, is similar to Hyla chrysoscelis/versicolor, but is smaller (25-50 mm length, vs. 32-62 mm for the Grey Tree Frogs).
Recent visits to Jamaica Bay, in addition to providing a wealth of bird sightings, have allowed me to see some Gray Tree Frogs (Hyla versicolor) up close and personal. They are particularly likely to be found hiding in cracks and crevices in the bird blind at Big John’s Pond, a fact I read quite some time ago in a post by The City Birder. So now every time I make my way over to the blind to look for Barn Owls I take a moment or two to see if the frogs are present and visible
Both species are variable in color, mottled gray to gray-green, resembling the bark of trees. These are tree frogs of woodland habitats, though they will sometimes travel into more open areas to reach a breeding pond. The only readily noticeable difference between the two species is the call–Cope’s has a faster paced, and slightly higher pitched, call than H. versicolor. In addition, H. chrysoscelis is reported to be more slightly smaller, more aboreal, and more tolerant of dry conditions than H. versicolor (Martof et al., 1980). The range of H. chrysoscelis is more southerly–it is apparently the species found in the lower elevation Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Virginia and the Carolinas. In those areas, H. versicolor may be present only in the Appalachians (Martof et al. 1980). The Bird-voiced Tree Frog, Hyla The Gray Tree Frog (Hyla versicolor), written more commonly as one word as Gray Treefrog, is a species of small arboreal frog native to much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada.[1]
It is sometimes referred to as the Eastern Gray Treefrog or Common Gray Treefrog or Tetraploid Gray Treefrog in order to distinguish it from its more southern genetically disparate cousin, the Cope’s Gray Treefrog, Hyla chrysoscelis. It may sometimes be referred to as the North American Tree Frog by Europeans in order to distinguish it from their European Tree Frog, Hyla arborea.
hind leg of similar Hyla chrysoscelis
As the species name Hyla versicolor implies, gray tree frogs are highly variable in color owing to their ability to camouflage themselves from gray to green, depending on the substrate they are sitting on. The degree of mottling varies. They can change from nearly black to nearly white. They change colors more slowly than a chameleon. Dead gray tree frogs and ones in unnatural surroundings are predominantly gray in color.
They are relatively small compared to other North American frog species, typically attaining no more than 1.5 to 2 inches (4 cm to 5 cm) in length. Their skin has a lumpy texture to it, giving them a warty appearance. They are virtually indistinguishable from the Cope’s Gray Tree Frog, Hyla chrysoscelis, the only readily noticeable difference being their calls. Cope’s Gray Tree Frog has a shorter, faster call [2]. The Gray Tree Frog also has an extra set of chromosomes (4N), or 48 in total, and is called Tetraploid Gray Treefrog in scientific circles. The more southerly Cope’s Gray Treefrog, or Diploid Gray Treefrog, retained its 2N (24) original chromosome set, so there is speculation of successful hybridization in the past.
Both Hyla chrysoscelis and Hyla versicolor have bright yellow patches on the hind legs, which distinguishes them from other tree frogs, such as Hyla avivoca (Martof et al. 1980). The bright patches are normally only visible while the frog is jumping. Both species of Gray tree frogs are slightly sexually dimorphic. Males have black or gray throats, while the throat of the female is lighter (Tyning 1990).
Tadpoles have a rounded body (as opposed to the more elongated bodies of stream species) with a high, wide tail that can be colored red if predators are in the system. Metamorphosis can occur in as little as 2 months with optimal conditions. At metamorphosis, the new froglets will almost always turn green for a day or two before changing to the more common gray. Young frogs will also sometimes maintain a light green color and turn gray or darker green after reaching adulthood.
Gray Tree Frogs inhabit a wide range, and can be found in most of the eastern half of the United States, as far west as central Texas. They also range into Canada in the provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, with an isolated population in New Brunswick.
Wild caught gray treefrogs are frequently found in the pet trade. They make excellent, undemanding captives. A moderately humid vivarium of live plants is generally quite adequate to house them, along with a varied diet of commercially available crickets, small moths, caterpillars, mealworms, flies, spiders, other insects, and occasionally other small mammals. Be sure to provide a source of water for your tree frog or mist frequently to keep the skin moist. If skin is dry it could die off. These pets are common in and around the Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri region.
Breeding occurs march to late July. When they breed it’s usually in ponds, near trees and sometimes in shrubs. The males make a sound that is a usual call like a peep that will last for about 2 seconds. As soon as the female accepts the male she will give him a nudge and he will know to jump on her back and mate. They will lay about 2000 eggs. The eggs are very small and round, and grayish in color. They are attached in slippery clumps and covered in a jelly-like substance. In about 4 days, the eggs become clear and separated, and the teeny, black tadpoles can be seen inside. About 2 days later, they hatch. The tadpole struggles inside the egg and his tail whips around, then it squeezes out of the egg, swims around, and searches for food. During the next three weeks, the small tadpoles grow to be about a centimeter long and are a translucent creamy-brown color with tiny black eyes, and the shape of the head begins to form. In captivity, they can be fed crumbled, boiled lettuce, fish food pellets, and grass and other plants. However, some seeds (like the seeds of an iris flower) can kill a tadpole if eaten. At the end of the three weeks, the back legs start to grow into short stubs, and the tadpoles begin using them to swim. A few days later, their front legs begin to bulge and finish growing in about a day. In 4 days, the tails are gone, and a day after their front legs are grown, the frogs are a greenish-brownish gray color, and very fat and bulgy, with a smooth, slimy texture. A week later, they are gray, with a dry, bumpy texture and very sticky feet, with a yellow color on the underside of their back legs
I HAVE 3 EUROPEAN TREE FROGS LOVE THE GREYS THO MY PAL HAS 2 AND ONE EUROPEAN. HE HAS THEM IN THE SAME TANK IM WONDERING IF THAT IS OK