Toad Sounds and Calls in the United States

Toad sounds are a big part of the evening soundtrack in many places across the United States. While toad calls vary, many of them are “trills” of varying lengths and musicality. Some are musical and pleasant, while others may be abrupt, raspy, and generally less pleasing to the ear.

There are about 480 species of toads worldwide, and 22 species live in the United States. You’ll notice that their typical vocalizations, while varied are distinct from most tree frog sounds or true frog calls. You can learn more about all these using our complete guide to frog and toad calls.

Some vocalizations are familiar to many people, including the call of the American toad and (to a lesser extent) sounds of the Fowler’s toad.

American toad close up, sitting on stick — The American Toad, one of the most common toad species in the United States.

However, many vocalizations are somewhat similar (see below), and things are further complicated by the fact that toads frequently hybridize, leading to calls that sound like a mix of two species.

Most toads live on lands except during their breeding season, and many burrow into softer substrates when not active. This, together with the fact that most are nocturnal, can make many species difficult to spot.

This guide includes both true toads (Bufonidae family) and Spadefoots (Scaphiopodidae). The latter have spade-shaped parts of their back feet that allow them to burrow into the ground backwards.

Read on to learn more about toad calls in the lower 48 United States!

True Toad Sounds in the United States

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.

Woodhouse’s Toad

Anaxyrus woodhousii

The mating call is a nasal buzz-like noise that typically lasts between two and four seconds. Similar sound to Fowler’s Toad, but usually lower in pitch. Also sounds a bit like a person screaming or baby crying.

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.

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.

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.

Texas Toad

Anaxyrus speciosus

The male’s call is a loud, metallic, somewhat unpleasant sound. It lasts only about half a second and and repeats over and over. I think it sounds a bit like a fire alarm.

Houston Toad

Anaxyrus houstonensis

The Houston Toad makes a musical trill that typically lasts between twelve and twenty seconds. It sounds similar to an American Toad, though it is slightly higher in pitch.

Cane Toad

Rhinella marina

The advertisement call is a low-pitched trill that lasts between four and six seconds. Larger toads make more resonant and lower-pitched calls.

Great Plains Toad

Anaxyrus cognatus

The Great Plains Toad makes a loud, long, pulsing, high-pitched trill, has a jack-hammer quality to it. Lasts from five seconds up to a minute.

Canadian Toad

Anaxyrus hemiophrys

The mating call is a musical trill that lasts between three and six seconds. Softer and a little flatter than the call of the American Toad.

Wyoming Toad

Anaxyrus baxteri

The advertisement call is a rattling, somewhat musical trill that lasts three to five seconds. It is softer and less musical than the call of the American Toad. Similar in sound to the Canadian Toad, though ranges do not overlap.

Red-spotted Toad

Anaxyrus punctatus

The Red-spotted Toad makes a high-pitched, melodic trill that lasts between three and ten seconds. Similar to the call of the Arizona Toad, but with a higher pitch. Sounds a bit like a cricket.

Green Toad

Anaxyrus debilis

The mating call is a nasal, buzzing trill that lasts between three and ten seconds. Some liken it to an electric buzzer. The Toad usually pauses several seconds between calls.

Sonoran Green Toad

Anaxyrus retiformis

Mating call is a nasal, buzzing sound that lasts about three seconds. The beginning of the call may waver. Similar to the call of the Great Plains Narrowmouth Toad, but is lower in pitch.

Sonoran Desert Toad

Ollotis alvaria

This desert toad makes a soft, garbled, nasal sound, typically lasting less than a second. The call repeats every few seconds.

Arizona Toad

Anaxyrus microscaphus

California Herps provides a good example of the call of the Arizona Toad.

The advertisement call is a melodic trill that lasts between six and ten seconds. The call usually starts soft and becomes louder as it continues.

Western Toad

Anaxyrus boreas

California Herps provides a good example of the call of the Western Toad. This species does not have great video examples of its calls, so we’ll rely on the audio-only version here. The all is a bird-like chirp that is frequently repeated.

Amargosa Toad

Anaxyrus nelsoni

You can hear the call of the Amargosa Toad at CaliforniaHerps.com.

This toad does not have a vocal sac and rarely calls. It does, however, give a chirp when grasped by another toad — or by a person!

Black Toad

Anaxyrus exsul

The Black Toad does not have a vocal sac and rarely makes noise. However, when grasped it will make a chirp-like “release” call. (Source: Californiaherps.com)

Arroyo Toad

Anaxyrus californicus

The advertisement call is a melodic trill that lasts between six and ten seconds. The call usually starts soft and gets louder as it goes on, similar to the call of the Arizona Toad.

Yosemite Toad

Anaxyrus canorus

The male’s mating call is a rattling, melodic trill, lasting between four and six seconds. It repeats every few seconds.

Spadefoot Sounds in the United States

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.

Couch’s Spadefoot

Scaphiopus couchii

The advertisement call of Couch’s Spadefoot sounds similar to the noise of a sheep or goat. It is repeated about once every five seconds, over and over.

Plains Spadefoot

Spea bombifrons

The Plains Spadefoot male makes mating call that sounds like a snore-like growl. Some far southern populations have a shorter call that can sound like the bark of a small dog!

Great Basin Spadefoot

Spea intermontana

The mating call is a raspy snore or bleat that is repeated again and again. The sound is shorter in warmer weather and is longer in the cold.

New Mexico Spadefoot

Spea multiplicata

The advertisement call of the New Mexico Spadefoot is a metallic-sounding snore that lasts about a second and repeats every few seconds.

Western Spadefoot

Spea hammondii

The mating call of the Western Spadefoot is a hoarse snore that some think sounds like the purring of a cat.

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.

Several books provide detailed and well-researched accounts of these frogs, including The Frogs and Toads of North America (2009) by Elliott, Gerhardt, and Davidson and Frogs and Toads of the United States and Canada (2013), by C. Kenneth Dodd.