FaunaHub

Chorus Frog (Pseudacris spp.)

AmphibianFrogNorth America

Chorus frog (Pseudacris), a small slender frog with dark stripes down its back.

Boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata).

Image: Peter Paplanus, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Overview

Chorus frogs (genus Pseudacris) are small, slender North American frogs, most of them marked with dark stripes or rows of spots down the back. Though they belong to the tree frog family (Hylidae), most chorus frogs are not great climbers and live close to the ground in damp grassland, marshes, and woodland.

They are best known for their sound. In late winter and early spring, males gather at wetlands and call together in loud, ringing choruses — for many people one of the first signs that spring has arrived. The well-known spring peeper is a member of this very group.

Note: there are many chorus-frog species; details here describe the group broadly, including the striped “trilling” chorus frogs.

Habitat & Range

Chorus frogs live across much of North America in damp, low habitats — wet meadows, marshes, flooded fields, ditches, swamps, and moist woodland — usually near the shallow, often temporary pools they breed in. Outside the breeding season they shelter in vegetation, leaf litter, and soil, and several species tolerate cold climates well.

Diet

Adult chorus frogs eat small invertebrates — insects, spiders, and other tiny prey — caught with a quick flick of the tongue. Their tadpoles graze on algae and organic matter in the pools where they develop.

Behavior

Chorus frogs are most conspicuous during the breeding season, when males call from wetland edges to attract females, often on cold early-spring nights. Each species has its own distinctive call — many sound like a finger running over the teeth of a comb. They breed in shallow, fish-free pools, where eggs hatch into tadpoles that transform into froglets. For much of the rest of the year the frogs are quiet and easily overlooked.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Chorus frogs are familiar harbingers of spring and are valued as part of healthy wetland ecosystems. Like many amphibians they can be affected by wetland drainage, pollution, and habitat loss; most species remain widespread, but some are localised or declining. Consult the IUCN Red List for the status of a particular species.

More photos of the chorus frog

An upland chorus frog showing the broken stripes along its back.

Upland chorus frog (Pseudacris feriarum).

Image: MH Herpetology, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Frequently Asked Questions — Chorus Frog

Are chorus frogs tree frogs?
Yes, by family. Chorus frogs belong to the tree frog family (Hylidae), but unlike many of their climbing relatives most chorus frogs live near the ground in damp grassland and marsh rather than up in trees.
Is the spring peeper a chorus frog?
Yes. The spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer) is a member of the chorus-frog genus Pseudacris. It is one of the most famous spring callers in the group.
Why are they called chorus frogs?
Because the males call together in large numbers at breeding wetlands, producing loud, overlapping choruses. Many species sound like a finger drawn across the teeth of a comb, and these choruses are a classic sound of early spring.
When and where do chorus frogs breed?
They breed in late winter and early spring in shallow, fish-free pools, marshes, and flooded areas. Males call to attract females, and the eggs hatch into tadpoles that develop in the temporary water before transforming into froglets.

Sources and further reading

Authoritative wildlife references used for general educational context. Conservation status should always be verified against current IUCN Red List data. External links open in a new tab.