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Western Chorus Frog

Psuedacris triseriata

COSEWIC Status: Threatened

Great Lakes / St. Lawrence / Canadian Shield population.

COSSARO Status: Not at risk

Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada

The committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada is a committee of experts who determine the national status of native species thought to be at risk of disappearing from Canada. Members include academics, specialists, Aboriginal people or government, & biologists.

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Species at Risk Status

Threatened

This species is likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.

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Committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario

The committee on the Status of Species at Risk in Ontario reviews the COSEWIC status reports for species that occur in Ontario, then makes recommendations on the appropriate provincial status of the species. Provincial status is identified on the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks Species at Risk in Ontario (SARO) List.

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Western Chorus Frog Photo Credit: Scott Gillingwater

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Food

• Feeds on beetles, flies, mosquitoes and slugs.

Habits and Reproduction

• Breed early in the season beginning in late March and generally breed in areas where the water is at least 10 cm deep.
• Rasping breeding calls “cre-ee-ee-eek” sounds like a thumbnail drawn over the teeth of a small comb.
• Remain in the tadpole stage for approximately two months and live no more than a year as an adult.
• Secretive and rarely seen outside of breeding season.
• Forage for food in fields and open forest.
• Hibernate beneath leaf litter, logs or underground.

Habitat

• Meadows and forest openings around vernal pools (typically are dry later in the season and do not support fish).

Threats

• Loss of breeding sites and effects of pollutants such as herbicide and pesticides.

Conservation Actions

• Learn the call of the chorus frog and listen for them in early spring. Please report the areas where you hear them.
• Vernal pools are important habitat for many amphibian species. If you have them on your property, please try to leave them in their natural state.