Ornate Chorus Frog (Pseudacris ornata)

Ornate Chorus Frog Call

Description: A small frog (2.5–3.2 cm; 1–1.25 in) with rounded toe tips. Among the most colorful chorus frogs of the Southeast, occurring in gray, green, or reddish-brown phases. A distinct black, mask-like stripe runs through the eye and onto the side of the body. Additional dark markings occur on the sides and groin. The groin and inner thighs may also display yellow patches or small yellow spots.

Range and Habitat: Restricted to the Coastal Plain of the southeastern United States, absent from southern peninsular Florida. Most common in xeric upland habitats such as Sandhills and pine flatwoods, but also found in a variety of wooded habitats. Breeding occurs in small, fishless wetlands, including Carolina Bays, flooded meadows, roadside ditches, and cypress ponds. Most often associated with open, grassy seasonal wetlands.

Habits: A secretive and nocturnal species, rarely seen outside its winter breeding season. Breeding occurs from November through March, generally earlier than Spring Peepers. Males call from grassy wetlands, while females lay 10–100 eggs in clusters attached to vegetation in shallow water. Eggs hatch in 1–2 weeks, and tadpoles metamorphose in 2–3 months, producing large metamorphs nearly adult-sized when they leave the water.

Call: A sharp, metallic “tink,” often given in rapid succession.

Conservation Status: Considered common across its range and not currently protected. However, as with many amphibians, populations are threatened by habitat destruction, environmental pollution, and emerging diseases.

P. ornata frog color variations.