Alabama's Winter Frogs

Learn to identify Alabama's winter frogs by listening to their calls below.

Special thanks to Walter Knapp, whose Frogs and Toads of Georgia website contains additional information on these and other frog species. All recordings and images copyright © Walter Knapp.


Northern Spring Peeper - Pseudacris crucifer
Northern Spring Peeper
Common statewide. Breeds January to April in ponds, pools, and swamps in, or near, wooded areas. Rarely encountered during warmer months.
Frog Call: Streaming
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Upland Chorus Frog - Pseudacris feriarum
Chorus Frog
Common nearly statewide; absent from extreme southern Alabama except along Conecuh and Chattahoochee rivers where its distribution barely extends into Florida. Breeds December to April in temporary pools in woods and fields.
Frog Call: Streaming
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Mountain Chorus Frog - Pseudacris brachyphona
Mountain Chorus Frog
Absent from most of the Coastal Plain, but common in north Alabama. Breeds December to April in shallow temporary pools in wooded areas, most often in hilly terrain.
Frog Call: Streaming
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Southern Chorus Frog - Pseudacris nigrita
Southern Chorus Frog
Locally common in extreme southern Alabama. Breeds February to May, usually in grassy temporary wetlands in, or near, areas of sandy soils.
Frog Call: Streaming
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Ornate Chorus Frog - Pseudacris ornata
Ornate Chorus Frog
Uncommon to locally common in the Coastal Plain east of the Cahaba and Alabama Rivers. Breeds from December to March in shallow, temporary pools.
Frog Call: Streaming
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Southern Leopard Frog - Rana sphenocephala
Southern Leopard Frog
Common statewide. Fairly aquatic but ranges away from water when foraging. Often seen on roads. Breeds mostly December through March in woodland pools, swamps, ponds, and other wetlands.
Frog Call: Streaming
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Pickerel Frog - Rana palustris
Pickerel Frog
Fairly common to uncommon and locally distributed in all regions above the Fall Line, with disjunct populations in Monroe and Conecuh counties. Frequently encountered in, and near, cave entrances, but exploits other cool water habitats. Breeds in winter and early spring.
Frog Call: Streaming
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Wood Frog - Rana sylvatica
Wood Frog
Rare and local in distribution. Documented from twelve locations in eastern Ridge and Valley and upper Piedmont from Mount Cheaha south to Horseshoe Bend in Tallapoosa County. A highly terrestrial frog of deciduous forests. Breeds January to February in woodland pools. Thought to be declining, but status is poorly known.
Frog Call: Streaming
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Gopher Frog - Rana capito
Gopher Frog
Declining and seriously imperiled. Principally a Coastal Plain longleaf pine forest inhabitant. Highly terrestrial, but breeds late January to March in open temporary ponds. Alabama's only remaining breeding sites are in Escambia and Covington Counties.
Frog Call: Streaming
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American Toad - Bufo americanus
American Toad
Fairly common in northeastern Alabama. Breeds in temporary woodland pools from January to May. Encountered most frequently in late winter to early spring near deciduous forest.
Frog Call: Streaming
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