Facts About the Common Tree Frog

The common tree frog spends most of its life in trees, grass and shrubs in its native range. The bright green frogs change colors to blend in with their surroundings, making them less noticeable to predators. Some people collect the common tree frog for use in aquariums, but unfortunately, this seems to contribute to the frogs' decline.

  1. Description

    • Common tree frogs grow up to 3 inches in length, varying in color from greenish-gray to bright green or reddish-brown depending on their surroundings. Some of the frogs sport four dark brown lines on their backs. The males appear larger than the females

    Habitat

    • The common tree frog lives in Europe with Denmark and Sweden marking its northernmost boundary. The frog favors broad-leafed and mixed forests, including those found in gardens, orchards and parks. The frog also inhabits areas near lake and streams. It spends the day sitting on the leaves or stems of trees, bushes and other types of vegetation. At night, the frog becomes very active, sometimes heading down to the ground to hunt for prey and to hydrate itself. Prey consists of insects, especially flying bugs that the frog catches when it makes a long leap into the air.

    Hibernation

    • Right before hibernation, common tree frogs stay busy during the day, too, as they begin the march to their wintering grounds starting in September. The frogs hibernate in soil, burrows, in nooks and crannies under piles of rocks or holes in trees. They stay there until they begin working their way back to their home territory anywhere from February to early May.

    Reproduction

    • In the spring or summer, males begin searching for females with which to mate. The male climbs up on some vegetation, then begins calling until the female comes to it. Once the male mates with the female, she builds a nest made of foam attached to twigs or leaves hanging over a body of water such as a pond, stream or even a mud puddle. The female lays between 200 to 2,000 eggs in the foam nest, then departs. Two to three weeks later, the tadpoles hatch inside the nest and drop into the water below. The cannibalistic tadpoles eat each other in an effort to survive with only one or two tadpoles reaching maturity if they grow up in a small body of water. The tadpoles turn into frogs within a few months of hatching. The young frogs move to the shoreline where they climb small bushes and grass.

    Threats

    • In western and central Europe, the loss of breeding habitat as well as fragmentation of the population is causing a decline of the common tree frog. Other factors affecting the frogs include pollution and collecting by people who want to use the frogs in their aquariums. In other parts of Europe, the species thrives and shows no signs of decline.