There are 31 types of toad and frog sounds in Louisiana. These include six true frog sounds, fifteen tree frog calls, five true toad sounds, two spadefoot calls, two rain frog noises, and one narrow-mouthed frog call.
Frog calls in Louisiana are most prevalent during the breeding season. The primary reason for frog calls is to attract mates, and thus most of the noises you’ll hear come from males.
While you may be familiar with some of these frogs and their sounds, some may be more difficult to identify — some may sound like birds (Bird-voiced Treefrog) or even dogs (Barking Treefrog).
American bullfrog, one common source of frog sounds in Louisiana.
For all the examples below, I have included only the males’ mating (or advertisement) calls, as these are by far the most often heard. While frogs make other noises, including alarm, release, and territorial calls, these are often short, tough to identify to species, and not as frequently recorded.
There are 15 species of tree frogs (Hylidae family) in Louisiana. These species share several physical characteristics, including small, narrow bodies and enlarged toe pads to help climb trees or bushes. Learn more about their varied calls — including ones that sound like squirrels, dogs, and birds! — below.
Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Acris blanchardi
Blanchard’s Cricket Frog makes a set of repeated and rapid clicks, which resemble the sound of two small rocks being tapped together.
Northern Cricket Frog
Acris crepitans
The advertisement call is a series of clicks than have been described as “two stones being tapped together”. The clicks start slow, then happen two or three at a time, building into a frenzy before slowing again.
Southern Cricket Frog
Acris gryllus
The mating call is a series of clicks, ranging from one to a dozen or more at a time, at a fairly steady pace. The frog usually starts with one click, then adds one or two to each subsequent series, almost like they are counting.
Bird-voiced Treefrog
Hyla avivoca
The advertisement call is a series of ringing, musical whistles that last several seconds. Some liken the call to someone whistling for their dog.
Cope’s Gray Treefrog
Hyla chrysoscelis
The mating call is a trill that sounds harsher than the call of the Gray Treefrog. The pulse rate is faster compared to the Gray Treefrog when both are calling in the same area at the same time.
American Green Treefrog
Hyla cinerea
The mating call is a short, nasal “honk!” made once or twice per second. This recording of Green Treefrog sounds from the National Park Service shows a faster call compared to the video.
Pine Woods Treefrog
Hyla femoralis
This mating call is sporadic and chattering, and leads to the frog’s nickname: the “morse code frog”.
Barking Treefrog
Hyla gratiosa
The call of the Barking Treefrog actually does resemble the sound of a barking dog! Mating calls are short “aarf” type sounds made every second or so.
Squirrel Treefrog
Hyla squirrella
Advertisement call is a buzzing “quack” repeated about twice a second. It gets its name from its rain call, which made outside of breeding areas and is raspier — recalling the noises of a gray squirrel.
Eastern Gray Treefrog
Hyla versicolor
The advertisement call of the gray treefrog is a musical trill that lasts about half a second and is repeated every few seconds. While it is similar to the Cope’s Gray Treefrog call, the pulse rate (speed of the call notes) is significantly slower if both frogs are calling in the same temperature.
Spring Peeper
Pseudacris crucifer
One of the most well known sounds in the Eastern United States, the spring peeper’s mating call is a loud, ongoing “peep” that repeats once a second or slightly faster.
Cajun Chorus Frog
Pseudacris fouquettei
The mating call is a clicking trill that lasts about a second and rises slightly at the end. It sounds very similar to several other chorus frogs, especially the Southern Chorus Frog. Both of these frogs make noise at slower pulse rates than Upland or Boreal Chorus Frogs.
Southern Chorus Frog
Pseudacris nigrita
The mating call is a slow, clicking trill that rises at the end and lasts about a second. Some say it sounds like a ratchet-type wrench. It sounds very similar to the Cajun Chorus Frog.
Ornate Chorus Frog
Pseudacris ornata
The mating call is a shrill, metallic-sounding “peep”. It sounds a little like a spring peeper, but is much faster (two or three notes per second).
Strecker’s Chrorus Frog
Pseudacris streckeri
The advertisement call is a metallic-sounding “peep”, very similar to the Ornate Chorus Frog. The call is slightly lower in pitch, but can be difficult to differentiate in areas where the species overlap.
Louisiana True Frog Sounds and Calls
Six amphibians in Louisiana are “true frogs“, meaning they are members of the Ranidae family. These are the usually medium to large-sized “typical” frogs. They often spend much of their time in or near water, which leads to the other common name for this group: water frogs.
True frog sounds in the state come from the Crawfish Frog, Bullfrog, Green Frog, Pig Frog, Pickerel Frog, and Southern Leopard Frog.
Read on to learn about the characteristics of Louisiana’s true frog sounds and calls.
Crawfish Frog
Lithobates areolatus
The mating call of the Crawfish Frog is a one-second-long, low-pitched, nasal snore.
Bullfrog
Lithobates catesbeianus
The bullfrog mating call is a loud, low-pitched “ruuum, ruuum, ruuuum.” They also have a high-pitched alarm call when they suddenly jump into the water if startled.
Green Frog
Lithobates clamitans
The Green Frog makes a sudden, loud “gunk!”. Many liken it to someone plucking a loose banjo string. They usually call in a few times in a row, with volume and pitch decreasing each time.
Pig Frog
Lithobates grylio
The mating call is a low-pitched grunt that sounds a bit like a pig. It is repeated a few times, and sometimes as many as seven or eight times in warmer weather.
Pickerel Frog
Lithobates palustris
Pickerel Frogs make a soft snore that lasts about two seconds, sometimes with a few garbled notes or “gunk!” that sounds similar to the Green Frog. The snore of the Pickerel Frog is much shorter than that of the Northern Leopard Frog.
Southern Leopard Frog
Lithobates sphenocephalus
The Southern Leopard Frog quickly repeats a set of five to ten “chucking” notes, often followed by grunts. These chucks get faster in warmer temperatures.
Toad Calls in Louisiana
There are five true toad sounds (Bufonidae family) in Louisiana, including the American Toad, Fowler’s Toad, Oak Toad, Southern Toad, and Gulf Coast Toad.
Most of these animals make trills that vary in their length and musicality. Some of these noises are almost musical, while others…..are not. Check out Louisiana’s toad calls below.
American Toad Calls
Anaxyrus americanus
The mating call is a musical trill that typically lasts between five and thirty seconds. During the breeding season, males’ make sounds that often alternate or overlap, and have slightly different pitches.
Fowler’s Toad Sounds
Anaxyrus fowleri
Fowler’s Toads make a buzzy trill that lasts between one and five seconds. Some people liken the sound to that of a crying baby or a woman screaming. Fowler’s Toads sometimes hybridize with American Toads, and calls end up sounding like a mix of the two species.
Oak Toad
Anaxyrus quercicus
The Oak Toad makes a loud, high-pitched, repeating “peep!” Some indicate that it sounds like a baby chicken or a squeaky wheel.
Southern Toad
Anaxyrus terrestris
Advertisement call is a high-pitched, somewhat musical trill that lasts between four and eight seconds. Somewhat similar to American Toad, but with a higher pitch and faster pulse rate.
Coastal Plain Toad
Ollotis nebulifier
The mating call of the Coastal Plain Toad, also known as the Gulf Coast Toad, is a rattling trill about four to six seconds in duration. It is flatter-sounding and lower in pitch compared to the American Toad.
Other Types of Frog Sounds in Louisiana
There are three additional families of frog species represented in Louisiana. These include the spadefoots (Scaphiopodidae), rain frogs (Eleutherodactylidae) and narrow-mouthed toads (Microhylidae). Check out the sounds of these other Louisiana frogs below.
Eastern Spadefoot Calls
Scaphiopus holbrookii
The mating call of the Eastern Spadefoot is an explosive noise that sounds a bit like a person gagging. It’s not the most pleasant sound. The noise is repeated every five to ten seconds.
Hurter’s Spadefoot
Scaphiopus hurterii
The advertisement call can sound very similar to the sound of the Eastern Spadefoot. Luckily their ranges do not overlap.
Eastern Narrow-mouthed Toad
Gastrophryne carolinensis
The Eastern Narrowmouth Toads makes a loud, sometimes startling high-pitched “weeeeee!” It can sound similar to the bleat of a baby animal.
Greenhouse Frog
Eleutherodactylus planirostris
The Greenhouse Frog (also known as Cuban Flat-headed Frog) makes a small chirp, and some think it sounds similar to sneakers squeaking on a gym floor.
Rio Grande Chirping Frog
Eleutherodactylus planirostris
The Rio Grande Chirping frog makes – as you might expect – sharp individual chirps or groups of chirps. It also makes slow trills that rise in pitch at the end.
References and Further Reading
This sound guide draws from a number of sources, including several of the following:
Some of the best quality information online about individual frogs can be found at AmphibiaWeb and Animal Diversity Web. These provide some details on calls, among a host of other valuable content.
A whole variety of YouTube channels provide great examples of sounds and calls, several of which are included here. These creators range from passionate individuals to state agencies. If you liked a video embedded here, check out more from these channels.
