Tree frogs are fascinating frog species that make great pets and are fun to observe, especially in their natural habitats. They get their names from their ability to climb smooth surfaces and broad leaves using the sticky pads on each of their toes. The pads secrete a fluid that acts as an adhesive for easy gripping.
You can find tree frogs on every continent, except Antarctica. They prefer warmer climates and can be found in forests, marshes, grasslands, or other aquatic habitats. Over 30 tree frog species live in the United States and can be further categorized down into the main types of tree frogs detailed in this article.
Let’s learn more about these tree-dwelling animals!
19 Types of Tree Frogs
Here are 19 types of tree frogs you can find in the United States:
- Cricket Frog
- Pine Barrens Tree Frog
- Canyon Tree Frog
- Bird-Voiced Tree Frog
- California Tree Frog
- Gray Tree Frog
- Green Tree Frog
- Spring Peeper
- Mountain Tree Frog
- Pine Woods Tree Frog
- Barking Tree Frog
- Pacific Tree Frog
- Squirrel Treefrog
- Little Grass Frog
- Cuban Tree Frog
- Lowland Burrowing Tree Frog
- Mexican Tree Frog
- Baja California Tree Frog
- Chorus Frogs
1. Cricket Frogs
Scientific genus: Acris
The Cricket frog gets its name because their call resembles that of a cricket. There are three species of this genus in the United States: the Blanchard’s Cricket frog (Acris blanchardi), Northern Cricket Frog (Acris crepitans), and Southern Cricket Frog (Acris gryllus). These frogs are typically between 0.5 to 1.5 inches in length.
The Blanchard’s Cricket frog is widely distributed from north of the Ohio River and in southern states west of the Mississippi River. You can find the Northern species from southern New York down to the Florida panhandle, west to Texas and southeastern New Mexico, as well as north to Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Michigan. The Southern species typically live on the coastal plains from southeastern Virginia to eastern Louisiana and Mississippi.
2. Pine Barrens Tree Frog
Scientific name: Hyla andersoni
The Pine Barrens tree frog grows up to 2 inches long. They are bright green with brownish-purple stripes running down each side of their body and orange spots on their legs, groin, and armpits. These frogs can be found in North and South Carolina sandhills, Alabama, New Jersey pine barrens, and in the Florida panhandle.
3. Canyon Tree Frog
Scientific name: Hyla arenicolor
Canyon tree frogs are typically grey-green, grey-brown, or brown with darker blotching to match the rock and soil of their habitats. You can typically find them in rocky plateaus with a permanent water source from southern Utah to central Colorado and south to the Texas Big Bend region. There are also populations in New Mexico and Arizona.
These frogs grow between 2 and 2.2 inches long. They feed on small invertebrates, such as spiders, ants, beetles, and flies.
4. Bird-Voiced Tree Frog
Scientific name: Hyla avivoca
The Bird-voiced tree frog is typically 1 to 1.75 inches in length and green, brown, or gray with dark blotches. They also have a distinctive white spot under each eye.
You can find these frogs from the extreme southern Illinois counties to the Florida panhandle and Louisana. There are also isolated populations in northeastern Georgia and along the border of South Carolina and Georgia.
5. California Tree Frog
Scientific name: Hyla cadaverina
You can find the California tree frog in the southwestern California regions down into northern Baja California. They typically prefer stream habitats in the Santa Monica mountains but can also be found in Joshua Tree National Park.
These frogs are between 1 and 2 inches in length and are gray or brown with darker colored blotches. They eat a variety of small invertebrates, including spiders, insects, and centipedes.
6. Gray Tree Frog
Scientific names: Hyla chrysoscelis or Hyla versicolor
You can find Gray tree frogs from Canada and Maine down to northern Florida, west to Texas, and north up to Oklahoma. There are two specific gray tree frog species in the United States: The Cope’s Gray tree frog (Hyla chrysoscelis) and the Common/Eastern Gray tree frog (Hyla versicolor).
These frogs are typically 1 to 2 inches long, with the Eastern gray slightly bigger, growing up to an average of 2.4 inches. The Cope’s Gray tree frog is generally orange, green, or brown to whitish gray, with dark blotches and white spots under the eyes. The Eastern Gray tree frog is white to nearly black with a dark bandish pattern on their legs contrasted with bright orange or yellow undersides of their legs and arms.
7. Green Tree Frog
Scientific name: Hyla cinerea
The Green tree frog is typically bright to dark green or grayish-green. They have white stripes with black borders and usually grow between 1 and 2.5 inches in length.
These frogs prefer living in trees near permanent water bodies. You can find them along the coastal plain from Delaware down into Florida and the Keys as well as west to southern Texas and north into central Arkansas, western Tennessee, and all the way to Illinois.
8. Spring Peeper
Scientific name: Hyla crucifer or Pseudacris crucifer
The Spring Peeper is a small chorus frog species found throughout the eastern United States as well as further north into central Wisconsin, including states such as Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York.
There are two main species of spring peeper: the Northern spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer crucifer) and the Southern spring peeper (Pseudacris crucifer bartramiana). Both are small, ranging between 0.75 to 1.5 inches, with the Southern species slightly bigger. The Northern species is also duller than the Southern species.
9. Mountain Tree Frog
Scientific name: Hyla eximia
You can find the Mountain tree frog in the mountain habitats of New Mexico and central Arizona, typically in the Sierra Madre Occidental to Guerrero mountain ranges. They are often brown or green with dark stripes and grow between 0.7 and 2.2 inches in length. Their skin is very toxic and can cause irritation to your eyes after handling them.
10. Pine Woods Tree Frog
Scientific name: Hyla femoralis
The Pine Woods tree frog lives along the coastal plain from southeastern Virginia to southern Florida and west along the coast towards Louisiana. There are also populations in central Alabama. However, you can’t find them in the everglades of Florida.
These frogs make a rapid tapping sound that sounds similar to a Morse code. They also have a distinctive “bandit mask” mark on their faces. They can grow around 1.5 inches.
11. Barking Tree Frog
Scientific name: Hyla gratiosa
As their name suggests, this loud tree frog makes a barking sound that can be 85 decibels – that’s as loud as a bus! They grow up to 2.75 inches in length and have a plump body with granular bumpy skin. Their coloring is gray, green, or brown with dark spots that fade and sometimes yellow flecks.
You can find these frogs from southeastern Virginia along the coastal plain to Louisiana and southern Florida. There are also isolated populations in the Gulf States, Kentucky, Tennessee, and southern New Jersey.
12. Pacific Tree Frog
Scientific name: Hyla regilla or Pseudacris regilla
Also known as the Pacific chorus frog, the Pacific tree frog can survive in a variety of habitats. They live in deserts, agricultural areas, meadows, and forested areas near some type of open water source, such as ponds, marshes, lakes, or riparian areas. You can find them on the west coast from southern British Columbia down to Baja California. They also live on the Channel Islands and east to Montana, Idaho, and Nevada.
These frogs can grow up to 2.2 inches in length. Their smooth skin can be different shades of brown and green and have a distinctive dark line through their eyes.
13. Squirrel Treefrog
Scientific name: Hyla squirella
The Squirrel tree frog gets their name from the squirrel-like raspy call they make. These frogs grow up to 1 or 1.5 inches in length and are typically green, gray, tan, or brown with splotches.
You can find them in the coastal plains from southeastern Virginia to Florida, including the keys, and west along the Gulf coast to central Texas. There are also isolated populations in Louisiana, northern Mississippi, and southeastern Oklahoma.
14. Little Grass Frog
Scientific name: Pseudacris ocularis or Limnaoedus ocularis
The Little Grass frog is a tree frog found in the southeastern states. They live along the coastal plain from southeastern Virginia down to southern Florida and west to southeastern Alabama.
With sizes ranging from 0.4 to 0.6 inches in length, they are the smallest North American tree frogs. Their bodies are generally green, pink, reddish, or brown.
15. Cuban Tree Frog
Scientific name: Osteopilus septentrionalis
Although native to the Cayman Islands, Cuba, and the Bahamas, the Cuban tree frog is invasive in the United States. They are a major reason for the decline of native snakes, frogs, and small lizards. You can find them throughout southern Florida and in Hawaii, where they are a problem. They also have isolated populations in drainage systems in Colorado, Massachusetts, and southeastern Texas.
Their color varies from gray or whitish to brown or green with dark blotches and stripes. Typically they are between 1.5 and 3 inches in length but can grow up to 5.5 inches.
16. Lowland Burrowing Tree Frog
Scientific name: Smilisca fodiens formerly Pternohyla fodiens
The Lowland Burrowing tree frog mainly exists in the extreme south-central Arizona areas. They prefer habitats near sea level with tropical scrub forests and open mesquite grassland.
These frogs are light tan to dark brown with a creamy white underbelly and large brown blotches outlined by a pale yellow. They typically reach 2.25 inches long.
17. Mexican Tree Frog
Scientific name: Smilisca baudini
You can only find the Mexican tree frog in the southern tip of Texas and they are the largest tree frog native to the United States. Adults can reach up to 3 or 4 inches in length. They have smooth yellow, gray, green, or dark brown skin with a light spot under their eyes. They are also unique because of the deep honking sounds they make, sounding similar to a clown.
Although not endangered in Southern America, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department considers it a threatened species and the state fully protects it.
18. Baja California Tree Frog
Scientific name: Pseudacris hypochondriaca
The Baja California tree frog is a species of chorus frog that is native only to the Channel Islands off the southern California coast. However, you can find them throughout California, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, the Mojave desert, and even 11,000 feet high on Mount Whitney.
These frogs are dark gray, greenish, or reddish tint with a creamy underbelly. They are typically under 2 inches long.
19. Chorus Frogs
Scientific genus: Pseudacris
Besides some of the chorus frogs previously mentioned, there are many other species you can find in the United States. They are all in the genus Pseudacris, which comes from the words psuedes and akris meaning false locust in Greek. This reference relates to the sound chorus frogs make, which is a rasping trill similar to an insect.
Below are 14 different chorus frog species found in the United States.
1. Mountain Chorus Frog (Pseudacris brachyphona)
These frogs are found in a band from southwestern Pennsylvania and southeastern Ohio to central Alabama. They also live in Mississippi and West Virginia.
2. Brimley’s Chorus Frog (Pseudacris brimleyi)
You can find these frogs along the coastal plain from eastern Virginia to eastern Georgia.
3. Spotted Chorus Frog (Pseudacris clarki)
You can find these frogs from central Kansas down to central Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. They also live in Montana.
4. Western Chorus Frog (Pseudacris triseriata)
Commonly called just the Chorus frog, this species is widespread from Canada to northern New York and south to Georgia and west to Arizona, except New England, the southern coast, and the northern Appalachians.
5. Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculate)
Although native to Canada, these frogs also live in Montana down to Arizona and New Mexico and through most of the central states to New York.
6. Southern Chorus Frog (Pseudacris nigrita)
You can find these frogs along the coastal plain from eastern North Carolina to Florida and to southern Mississippi.
7. Ornate Chorus Frog (Pseudacris ornata)
These frogs live along the coastal plain from North Carolina to eastern Louisiana and northern Florida.
8. Strecker’s Chorus Frog (Pseudacris steckeri)
You can find these frogs from western Arkansas and north-central Oklahoma down to Texas. They also live in southeastern Missouri and central Illinois.
9. Cajun Chorus Frog (Pseudacris fouquettei)
Typically in ground-level vegetation, these frogs can be found in eastern Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and western Mississippi.
10. Upland Chorus Frog (Pseudacris feriarum)
These frogs are found throughout the eastern states, including the Florida panhandle and eastern Texas counties.
11. New Jersey Chorus Frog (Pseudacris feriarum)
milkweedhunter via iNaturalist | CC BY 4.0
While typically found in the southern and eastern areas of New Jersey, these frogs also live in southeastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, and the Delmarva Peninsula of eastern Maryland.
12. Illinois Chorus Frog (Pseudacris illinoensis)
13. Florida Chorus Frog (Pseudacris nigrita)
These frogs are found throughout Florida in forest and wetland habitats. They also live in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia.
14. Sierran Chorus Frog (Pseudacris sierra)
Also known as the Sierran tree frog, you can find these frogs from the west coast and central California inland to Idaho.
