Tree frog sounds are a common part of the soundscape in many parts of the country. These calls vary quite a bit: some are musical and pleasant, while others are hoarse or raspy. Tree frogs are often very difficult to spot, so their calls can provide a wonderful window into this species.
The treefrog family, Hylidae, includes more than 800 species worldwide and 30 species in the United States alone. You’ll notice that their typical sounds, while varied are distinct from most water frog noises or toad calls. You can learn more about all these using our complete guide to frog and toad noises.
Some of the most familiar noises produced by tree frogs include the sound of spring peepers (which have smaller toe pads and don’t spend much time in trees),calls of gray tree frogs, and the sounds of thePacific Tree Frog.
Gray tree frog resting on a branch.
These frogs are often very difficult to find, so you’re much more likely to hear them than see them. In fact, some species change color to camouflage themselves in their surroundings.
If you do spot a tree frog, you’ll notice their long legs, small, narrow bodies, and large, sticky toe pads that allow (most of) them to live in trees and shrubs.
This guide focuses on the lower 48 U.S. states, and includes all those creates in the Hylidae family: tree frogs, chorus frogs, and cricket frogs. To hear more species, check out our guides to true frog sounds and toad sounds as well.
Continue on to enjoy the many beautiful and fascinating calls of tree frogs in the United States!
Tree Frog Sounds and Calls in the United States
Pine Barrens Treefrog
Hyla andersonii
The male’s call sounds like a nasal “honk” or “quonk,” and is quickly repeated 10 to 20 times at infrequent intervals. Call is faster than the Green Treefrog’s.
Canyon Treefrog
Hyla arenicolor
The mating call is a rattling, hollow-sounding trill that lasts about a second and is repeated every few seconds.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cuban Treefrog
Osteopilus septentrionalis
The Cuban Treefrog makes a low, squeaking, nasal honk that repeats about once per second.
Mexican Treefrog
Smilisca baudinii
The Mexican Treefrog makes a honking noise that is sometimes broken up with a short “chuckle”.
Arizona Treefrog
Hyla wrightorum
Mating call is a brief quack-like, raspy call, typically repeated at a rate of twice a second or so.
Lowland Burrowing Treefrog
Smilisca fodiens
The mating call is a duck-like squawk. This sound like the Arizona Treefrog, though the pitch is lower and confusion is not a major issue because their ranges are separate.
Chorus Frog Sounds and Calls in the United States
Mountain Chorus Frog
Pseudacris brachyphona
The Mountain Chorus Frog makes a raspy trill that rises at the end and repeats about twice each second. It sounds very similar to the Brimley’s Chorus Frog, but their ranges do not overlap.
Brimley’s Chorus Frog
Pseudacris brimleyi
The male’s call is a raspy rill that repeats one or two times each second. It sounds similar to the Squirrel Treefrog.
Spotted Chorus Frog
Pseudacris clarkii
The advertisement call is a fast, raspy trill, which can sound quite similar to Mountain and Brimley’s Chorus Frogs, as well as the Squirrel Treefrog.
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.
Upland Chorus Frog
Pseudacris feriarum
The frog makes a clicking trill that rises at the end. This noise can be tough to tell apart from Boreal, New Jersey, and Midland Chorus Frogs, which sound very similar.
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.
New Jersey Chorus Frog
Pseudacris kalmi
The advertisement call is a fast and clicking trill that rises at the end. It is almost impossible to differentiate from the Upland Chorus Frog, though the speed of the trill is usually slightly faster.
Boreal Chorus Frog
Pseudacris maculata
The advertisement call is a metallic-sounding trill that lasts a little more than a second and rises in pitch at the end. Calls are typically a couple seconds apart. This frog sounds similar to Midland and Upland 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.
Little Grass Frog
Pseudacris ocularis
The advertisement call is an high-pitched, bug-like chirp that repeats about once per second. As males chorus during mating season, they can sound like crickets chirping. Little Grass Frogs have the highest pitched calls of any frog in the United States.
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).
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.
California Chorus Frog
Pseudacris cadaverina
The California Chorus Frog makes a flat, quack-like call that repeats approximately once a second.
Pacific Chorus Frog
Pseudacris regilla
The male’s mating call often has two parts – a classic “rib-bit, rib-bit!” – in which the second half rises in pitch. In some parts of its range, the frog only has a single-note call.
Cricket Frog Sounds and Calls in the United States
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.
