There are two known sub-species to the Hyla avivoca, the western bird-voiced treefrog, Hyla avivoca avivoca, and the eastern bird-voiced treefrog, Hyla avivoca agechiensis. Hyla avivoca avivoca are smaller in size and has a light spot under their eyes. They are most commonly found from Illinois to Louisiana and west Florida. Hyla avivoca agechiensis is larger in size with either yellow or light green spots under their eyes. They are most commonly found in central Georgia and southwest South Carolina.
Bird-voiced treefrogs emit skin secretions that are very irritating to humans. These secretions can cause runny noses and watery eyes. (Behler 1979)
Bird-voiced treefrogs are classified as a threatened species in the state of Illinois. This is the northern most portion of the species' range, and these frogs occur only in a few cyprus swamps in the extreme southern tip of Illinois. It is listed as threatened because it occurs only in these few locations. Its population can be affected by any river damming or swamp drainage that causes changes to swampy land. (Georgia Museum of Natural History 2000)
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Development - Life Cycle: metamorphosis
None Known
By eating small insects these frogs may keep pests populations lower.
Bird-voiced treefrogs are opportunistic feeders. Their diet consists mainly of spiders and small arboreal insects. They typically hunt for their prey by foraging about in trees and shrubs. (Illinois Department of Natural Resources 1998)
The bird-voiced treefrog Hyla avivoca is most commonly found in deep wooded swamps with emergent woody vegetation in the south-eastern United States (Knapp 2001, Behler 1979).
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Bird-voiced treefrogs prefer swamps and brushy areas and are usually found in trees that grow in water. (Georgia Museum of Natural History 2000)
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 2.5 years.
Adult length 28 mm to 51 mm (1.25 inches to 2.25 inches).
The backs of bird-voiced treefrogs are gray, brown or green, often have one or more dark spots and have a warty surface. They have light, sometimes white, spots under their eyes. They have large toe pads, with adhesive disks on the tips of their digits. The hidden surfaces of their thighs and groin area usually range from light green to white and they have dark bars on their hind legs. The species is dimorphic, females are usually larger than the males. The males range in size from 28 mm to 39 mm (1.25 inches to 1.75 inches) and the females range from 32 mm to 51 mm (1.5 inches to 2.25 inches). The males have a darker throat pouch than the females. The tadpoles, prior to metamorphosis, are black and have several orange bands on their tails and an orange spot on their heads. (Wright 1949, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research 2001, Georgia Museum 2000)
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Bird-voiced treefrogs are considered late breeders, usually breeding from June to mid-August. The eggs are layed in shallow water in packets of 6 to 15 eggs. Females lay, on average, a total of 500 to 650 eggs. The eggs will hatch into tadpoles usually within a few days. The tadpoles will develop into adults within approximately one month. The tadpoles transformed size is approximately one-half inch. Breeding is usually increased with heavy rains. (Knapp 2001, Georgia Wildlife 2000, Auburn University 2001)
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (External ); oviparous
The bird-voiced tree frog[2] (Dryophytes avivoca) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, endemic to the United States. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, shrub-dominated wetlands, and swamps.
The bird-voiced tree frog is a small species growing to about 5 cm (2.0 in) long. It is usually a dappled, pale grey or brown on its dorsal surface, but its color changes with the temperature and its level of activity, and may be more or less pale green. It often has a dark brown cross-shaped mark on its back and further dark areas on its limbs. Its belly is grey with flashes of yellow on the underside of its hind legs. The male has a dark throat. This frog is very similar to the larger gray tree frog (Dryophytes versicolor), but that species has an orange flash on its hind legs. Both have a whitish square region just underneath the eyes. The bird-voiced tree frog is easily distinguishable during the spring and summer when it gives its characteristic call.[3][4][5]
The bird-voiced tree frog is found over much of the southeastern United States, including Kentucky, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Its favored habitat is wooded swamps near streams and rivers where the dominant species include cypress, birch, tupelo, and buttonbush.[1]
The bird-voiced tree frog normally lives in trees, seldom descending to the ground except to breed. It is nocturnal and emerges at dusk to forage for insects and other small invertebrates. Breeding takes place in late spring and early summer, usually after heavy rains. The male calls from bushes and low vegetation close to the edge of temporary pools or ponds. The sound is a rapid, repetitive "wit-wit-wit-wit". The female lays a number of batches of six to fifteen eggs in shallow water. The tadpole stage lasts for about a month and the newly metamorphosed juvenile frogs are often seen in bushes or dispersing to other localities in wet weather.[4]
The bird-voiced tree frog is listed as being of "Least Concern" in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It seems to have large populations in the areas in which it occurs and there seems to be no noticeable decline in numbers. Clearing or draining the swamps in which it lives would be deleterious, but is not happening to any great extent.[6]
The bird-voiced tree frog (Dryophytes avivoca) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae, endemic to the United States. Its natural habitats are temperate forests, shrub-dominated wetlands, and swamps.
