Frogs and Toads of Kentucky
If you are looking to identify a specific frog and can’t figure it out from the page, you can check my Frog Identification and see how to contact me about helping you out.
Kentucky is home to a variety of different frogs and toad species.
Frogs
True Frog Family – Ranidae
American Bullfrog (Rana catesbiana)
Common Name: American Bullfrog
Scientific Name: Rana catesbiana
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The American Bullfrog is the largest frog in the state. They are found near permanent bodies of water such as large ponds, streams, and lakes. Once the males of the species reach sexual maturity, their throats turn bright yellow. They are very similar to Green Frogs but they don’t have a dorsal ridge down their back. It wraps around their tympanum.
Common Name: Green Frog
Scientific Name: Rana clamitans
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Green Frog is a medium to large sized frog. They can be commonly found near pretty much any water body such as ponds, lakes, or streams. Once the males of the species reach sexual maturity, their throats turn bright yellow. Best way to tell them apart from other true frogs below is the dorsal ridge on its back does not go all the way down its back.
Common Name: Wood Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Wood Frog is a small to medium sized frog. They vary in color from brown, silver, or red and they have dark “raccoon” eyes. When winter comes, the Wood Frog can freeze completely solid and then unthaw in spring. They start to breed once the ice is off the ponds in late March / early April. After breeding season, they are often found in the woods, far away from any water bodies.
Common Name: Crawfish Frog
Scientific Name: Rana areolatus
Location: Western edge of the state
Breeding Season:
The Crawfish Frog gets its name from living in crawfish holes. Its has skin fold on the side and a small typanum.
Northern Leopard Frog (Rana pipiens)
Common Name: Northern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana pipiens
Location: Northcentral border
Breeding Season:
The Northern Leopard Frog is a medium to large species of semi aquatic species of frog. They vary in color from dark brown to slim green with fairly large spots all over their body.
Common Name: Southern Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana sphenocephalus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Northern and Southern Leopard Frog look very much alike with their uninterrupted dorsal ridges and spots but there are some differences. Southern Leopard Frog has a white spot on the tympanum and has a more pointed snout.
Common Name: Plains Leopard Frog
Scientific Name: Rana blairi
Location: Western edge of the state
Breeding Season:
The Plains Leopard Frog looks like the Northern and Southern Leopard Frog but the dorsal ridge is not complete like theirs. It shifts inward near the groin and can be broken.
Common Name: Pickeral Frog
Scientific Name: Rana palustris
Location: Everywhere besides western edge of the state
Breeding Season:
The Pickerel Frog is a medium to large sized frog. Their dorsal ridge runs down from their eye to their back and inside there is rectangular boxes.
Tree Frog Family – Hylidae
Not all the members of the tree frog family lives in the trees. You can find many of them on the ground.
Common Name: Blanchard’s Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris blanchardi
Location: Northern border of the state
Breeding Season:
They lack any distinct marks on its back.
Common Name: Northern Cricket Frog
Scientific Name: Acris crepitans
Location: Everywhere besides Eastern border
Breeding Season:
Green Tree Frog (Hyla cinerea)
Common Name: Green Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla cinerea
Location: Western edge of the state
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Barking Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla gratiosas
Location: Southwestern edge of the state
Breeding Season:
The Barking Tree Frog has much rougher skin than the Green Tree Frog. Both species have lines down the sides.
Eastern Gray Tree Frog (Hyla veriscolor) and Copes Gray Tree Frog (Hyla chrysoscelis)
Common Name: Eastern Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla versicolor
Location: Northern border
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Cope’s Gray Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla chrysoscelis
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Gray Tree Frogs are nearly identical besides their calls and chromosome numbers. These medium sized frogs can be found perched in trees or on the side of your house. They are not always gray in color and can be green. They have yellow or orange coloration on their back legs.
Here is a video of some Eastern Gray Tree Frog males calling that I took
Common Name: Bird-voiced Tree Frog
Scientific Name: Hyla avivoca
Location: Western border of the state
Breeding Season:
Bird-Voiced Tree Frog looks similar to the Gray Tree Frogs but their legs have a more yellow / green color on them while the Gray’s are more orange.
Common Name: Upland Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris feriarum
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Western Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris triseriata
Location: Western edge of the state
Breeding Season:
Upland and Midland Chorus Frog both have three stripes down their back. Midland has broader stripes and the stripes also aren’t broken.
Spring Peeper (Pseudacris crucifer)
Common Name: Spring Peeper
Scientific Name: Pseudacris crucifer
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The Spring Peeper is a small chorus frog that can often be found on forest floor or low on trunks of trees. They can be hard to find due to their small size, however, in spring when they come to temporary ponds to breed, they are easier to find. They can be distinguished from Boreal Chorus Frog and Cricket Frog due to their x on their back.
Common Name: Mountain Chorus Frog
Scientific Name: Pseudacris brachyphona
Location: Eastern half
Breeding Season:
The Mountain Chorus Frog has a distinct mark on its back that looks like a reverse parenthesis on their back.
Toads
True Toad Family – Bufonidae
The True Toads are your typical toad. They usually have a parotid gland behind their eyes that contain a poison called It is not advised to let your dog eat these guys.
American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus)
Common Name: American Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus americanus
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
Common Name: Fowler’s Toad
Scientific Name: Anaxyrus fowleri
Location: Statewide
Breeding Season:
The American Toad has a speckled belly while the Fowler’s Toad has a clear, white belly.
American Spadefoot Toad Family – Scaphiopodidae
Common Name: Eastern Spadefoot Toad
Scientific Name: Scaphiopus holbrookii
Location: Everywhere besides central Kentucky
Breeding Season:
The Eastern Spadefoot Toad is easy to identify because of the spade on their back legs that are used for digging.
Narrow Mouthed Toad Family – Microhylidae
Common Name: Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad
Scientific Name: Gastrophryne carolinensis
Location: Western half
Breeding Season:
The Eastern Narrow Mouthed Toad is the only narrow mouthed toad in the state. Its head is extremely narrow compared to the other toads.
