There are 13 different kinds of toad and frog sounds in Michigan. These include six true frog calls, five tree frog sounds, and two toad calls.
Frog calls in Michigan peak during the breeding season, when males congregate in breeding ponds. Their calls blend together to create loud choruses, and females use the qualities of these calls to find a suitable mate.
Spring peepers and Wood Frogs start this elaborate mating dance. They often begin calling as early as March in some parts of the state, and are soon joined by other species including Northern Leopard Frogs and American Toads. Later in the season, gray tree frogs, Fowler’s toads, and green frogs will take over the breeding ponds and auditory landscape.
American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeianus), one common source of frog sounds in Michigan.
For each of the species below, I have included only the males’ mating (also known as 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 five species of tree frogs in Michigan. These creatures share several physical characteristics, including small, narrow bodies and enlarged toe pads to help climb trees or bushes. However, their sounds can vary quite a bit, as you’ll see 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.
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.
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.
Midland Chorus Frog
Pseudacris triseriata
The Midland Chorus Frog mating call is a rapid clicking trill that lasts less than a second and rises slightly in pitch at the end. It sounds a little like running your finger along the teeth of a comb.
Michigan’s True Frog Sounds and Calls
Six amphibians in Michigan are considered “true frogs”, meaning they are members of the Ranidae family. These are the typically medium to large-sized “classic” frogs, the ones that most fit the image that pops up in your mind when someone says “frog”.
In Michigan, true frog soundscome from the Bullfrog, Green Frog, Pickerel Frog, Northern Leopard Frog, Mink Frog, and Wood Frog.
These frogs feature a range of physical and vocal differences. Read on to learn about the differences among Michigan’s true frog sounds and calls.
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.
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.
Northern Leopard Frog
Lithobates pipiens
The Northern Leopard Frog’s mating call is a long snore that lasts at least three seconds, and is often followed with grunts or chuckles. The call usually increases in volume until trailing off at the end.
Mink Frog
Lithobates septentrionalis
The advertisement call of the Mink Frog is two to four abrupt notes in a row, like someone tapping on wood.
Wood Frog
Lithobates sylvaticus
The Wood Frog’s call is a series of explosive clucks; some have compared this to the sound of hoarse duck quacks.
Toad Sounds in Michigan
There are two true toads (members of the Bufonidae family) in Michigan: the American Toad and Fowler’s Toad. Both make trills, but they vary a bit in their length and musicality. Check out these 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.
References and Further Reading
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.
