Amphibians
Ornate Chorus Frog
Pseudacris ornata · also called ornate chorus frogs
An ornate chorus frog is barely the size of a coin, and yet it wears one of the boldest patterns of any small frog in the southeastern United States, dark blotches and stripes scattered across its body in a combination distinctive enough to set it apart at a glance from its plainer chorus frog relatives.
Overview
The ornate chorus frog, Pseudacris ornata, is a small, boldly patterned frog native to pine flatwoods and forested wetlands across the southeastern United States coastal plain. It breeds in temporary, fishless wetlands during the cooler months of the year.
Loud for its size
A male ornate chorus frog’s repetitive clicking call carries surprisingly far given the frog’s small stature, a reminder that breeding success in a temporary, fast-disappearing pool often depends more on being heard than on being seen.
Status
Least Concern, though declining in parts of its coastal plain range as temporary wetland and pine flatwoods habitat is lost to agricultural and residential development.
Ornate Chorus Frog: common questions
What makes the ornate chorus frog's pattern so distinctive?
An ornate chorus frog displays a bold pattern of dark blotches, spots, and stripes across a lighter background colour, with considerable variation between individuals, but the overall boldness of the markings generally stands out clearly compared with the more uniformly coloured patterns typical of several other similarly sized chorus frog relatives.
How loud is the ornate chorus frog's call for such a small frog?
Despite its small overall size, a male ornate chorus frog produces a surprisingly loud, repetitive clicking or trilling call during the breeding season, a sound capable of carrying a considerable distance across the temporary wetland habitat where the species breeds, helping attract females from some distance away.
When does the ornate chorus frog breed?
The ornate chorus frog generally becomes active and begins calling during the cooler, wetter months of the year rather than during the hottest part of summer, breeding in temporary, fishless ponds and wetlands that fill with sufficient seasonal rainfall.
Why are ornate chorus frog populations declining in some areas?
Ornate chorus frog populations have declined in parts of their southeastern coastal plain range primarily due to the loss of temporary wetland breeding habitat and the surrounding pine flatwoods habitat to agricultural and residential development, though the species remains more secure in areas where protected wetland and forest habitat still exists.