Join BirdNote tomorrow, November 30th!
Illustrator David Sibley and actor H. Jon Benjamin will face off in the bird illustration battle of the century during BirdNote's Year-end Celebration and Auction!
Pacific Chorus Frogs: Harbingers of Spring
A reminder that rich natural habitats are near!
© Gregg Thompson
On the West Coast, the sound of Pacific Chorus Frogs - also known as Pacific Tree Frogs - signals the arrival of spring. To send their calls into the night, the males swell their throat sacs to three times the size of their heads. Those who hear this chorus can be sure that Rufous Hummingbirds, Tree Swallows, and Violet-green Swallows will soon be arriving on the scene!
BirdNote shares new bird stories every day on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – and you can sign up for our weekly email at BirdNote.org.
BirdNote®
Pacific Chorus Frogs: Harbingers of Spring
Written by Chris Peterson
This is BirdNote!
[A few Pacific Chorus Frogs]
Pacific Chorus Frogs! On the West Coast, one of the surest signs that spring is on its way! [Pacific Chorus Frogs]
To send their calls into the night, the males of these two-inch frogs swell their throat sacs to three times the size of their heads. Green and brown, they’re also known as Pacific Tree Frogs.
Those who hear this chorus can be sure that Rufous Hummingbirds, Tree Swallows, and Violet-green Swallows will soon be arriving on the scene.
[Wing whir of Rufous Hummingbird + twitter of Tree Swallows]
During the breeding season, from early February into June, the male frogs sing loudly while floating or sitting partially submerged in shallow wetlands. They remind us that rich natural habitats are close by.
Like the promise of migrating birds, the sound of the Pacific Chorus Frog signals the tremendous response of one part of the natural world to another. New light and warmth trigger the annual re-creation of life.
[Repeat frog chorus]
For Birdnote, I’m Mary McCann.
[Repeat frog chorus]
BirdNote shares new bird stories every day on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram – and you can sign up for our weekly email at BirdNote.org.
[Repeat frog chorus]
###
Bird sounds provided by The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Wing whir of Rufous Hummingbird [ 109124] recorded by G.A. Keller; song of Tree Swallow [40786] recorded by G. F. Budney.
Sounds of individual and many Pacific Chorus Frog provided by: Martyn Stewart at Naturesound.org.
Additional chorus of Pacific Chorus Frogs recorded by C. Peterson.
BirdNote’s theme music was composed and played by Nancy Rumbel and John Kessler.
Producer: John Kessler
Executive Producer: Chris Peterson
© 2014 Tune In to Nature.org March 2014/2019 Narrator: Mary McCann
ID# 031105Frog frog-01b
