Amphibians
Striped Chorus Frog
Pseudacris nigrita · also called southern chorus frog
So many striped chorus frogs call at once from a flooded roadside ditch that the individual buzzing calls stop being separable at all, merging into a single dense wall of sound that rolls across the coastal plain on the first mild nights of late winter.
Overview
The striped chorus frog, Pseudacris nigrita, is a small, slender amphibian native to grassland, pine flatwoods, and wetland edge habitat across the southeastern coastal plain of the United States. Its bold triple-striped pattern, dense overlapping chorus calls, and reliance on temporary fish-free breeding pools make it a familiar early-spring presence across its range.
A chorus that becomes one continuous sound
Where a handful of frogs might produce a chorus of distinct, countable calls, the striped chorus frog often gathers in such dense numbers that the entire group’s calling collapses into a single unbroken buzz rather than individual voices.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and stable across suitable grassland and wetland habitat throughout the southeastern coastal plain of the United States.
Striped Chorus Frog: common questions
Why do striped chorus frog choruses sound like one continuous buzz?
This species often calls in very large, dense aggregations, and with so many individual males calling at once in close proximity, their separate calls overlap so heavily that they blend together into what sounds like a single continuous wall of buzzing sound rather than distinct, countable individual calls.
Where does the striped chorus frog breed?
This species breeds in shallow, often temporary ponds, roadside ditches, and flooded grassy depressions, generally favouring sites without fish, which would otherwise prey heavily on its eggs and tadpoles, an approach shared with several other chorus frog species that rely on ephemeral water for the same reason.
How can you identify a striped chorus frog?
Look for a small, slender frog typically no more than about 3 centimetres long, marked with three bold dark stripes running down the back along with a dark stripe passing through the eye, a combination of features that gives the species its common name and helps distinguish it from similar small frogs sharing its coastal plain range.
How is the striped chorus frog different from other chorus frogs?
While closely related to other Pseudacris chorus frog species and broadly similar in size, call structure, and breeding habits, this species is generally distinguished by its more southeastern coastal plain range, which does not substantially overlap with several of its more northern or western chorus frog relatives.