From the Archives of

The Colorado Herpetological Society

Reviews of Frog Call Recordings
by Rob Arlen

"Sounds of North America Frogs", Charles M. Bogert, 1998, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, SFCD 45060, Mail order address: 955 L'Enfant Plaza, Suite 7300, MRC 953, Washington, D.C. 20560, (202)287-7298, Order line is 1(800)410-9815 (Discover, Visa, MC).

This is a reissue of Bogert's 1958 recording (by the same title), Folkways Records, 701 7th Ave., NYC. American Museum of Natural History. Detailed booklet "The Biological Significance of Voice in Frogs" included. Old Folkways number FX6166:

Starts with a Florida chorus of 11 species of frogs and then dissects the chorus. The mechanics of calling and geographical variations are demonstrated, then types of calls. The narration and booklet provide a good amount of detail on amphibian voices. Introduced species such as the marine toad are covered as well. This is the most comprehensive single recording and covers many aspects of frog calls and demonstrates frogs in North America coast to coast, but does not cover all North American species. I was very pleased to see that it has been released in CD format.

"Florida Frogs and Toads", Richard A. Bradley, 1978, Florida State Museum, Gainesville, FL 32611. Narrated by Linda Becker, Foreword by Archie Carr. FSM-1

Of the 30 species in FL, the most common are on this record. Narration on this recording includes the species being demonstrated plus other frogs and/or birds in the background. Introduced species such as the marine toad are covered. Southern toad, oak toad, southern cricket frog, spring peeper, green tree frog (mating call & rain call), barking tree frog, pine woods tree frog, squirrel tree frog, southern gray tree frog, bird-voiced tree frog, little grass frog, Florida chorus frog, ornate chorus frog, eastern narrow-mouth toad, bullfrog, pig frog, carpenter frog, bronze frog, southern leopard frog, Florida gopher frog are covered; and finally some mixed choruses.

"Voices of the Night", Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology, 1982, Subtitled "Calls of the Frogs and Toads of Eastern North America" (former subtitle "The Calls of 34 Frogs and Toads of the United States and Canada"), Produced by Peter Paul Kellogg and Arthur A. Allen, published by Houghton Mifflin, Boston; (initially published in 1948), record number CH 1005, also available as cassette (time approximately 47 minutes; 36 minutes in the old edition):

After a brief introduction, narration on this recording discusses each species with variations by size, habitat, and other factors. Other animal sounds are identified along with the frog calls. Calls are grouped by family beginning with Hylids, and differences between families are discussed. The recording discusses Hyla versicolor's slower trill (and twice the chromosomes) as compared to H. chrysoscelis. Also interesting is the note that in the green tree frog an advertisement call is changed into a warning call by trilling the call (this apparently happens in other species as well). Other observations such as the effect of size on calls are noted. Introduced species such as the marine toad, Cuban tree frog, and greenhouse frog are covered. Includes 37 (34 in the old edition) species in 5 families.

"Frog and Toad Calls of the Pacific Coast: Vanishing Voices" by Carlos Davidson, 1995, Library of Natural Sounds, Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 254-2404, email: libnatsounds@cornell.edu, 29 tracks, one hour, ISBN: 0-938027-15-8; CD includes 25 species for British Columbia, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, California, and North Baja California. Also available as a cassette).

Part 1 of this "audio field guide" is the reference section -- individual calls by species with other sounds identified: Spadefoot toads, true toads, tree and chorus frogs, true frogs, including introduced species. Part 2 deals with similar sounding species and how to tell the differences, e.g. by duration, quality, etc. In part 3 samples of calls are played and then announced, allowing the listener to practice identification. Part 4 contains 5 specially selected choruses, chosen for their beauty, with descriptions of the species in the book. As well as being a guide to the recordings, the book explains types of calls, and contains a breeding season chart and a bibliography of field guides, amphibian population declines and status, and calling biology. Two additional species are found in these states and provinces, but the Tailed frog, Ascaphus truei, does not have a voice, and the Boreal chorus frog, Pseudacris triseriata maculata, is included in the Rocky Mountain CD as it is found only in the far northeastern corner of British Columbia for the range of this recording.

"Frog and Toad Calls of the Rocky Mountains: Vanishing Voices" by Carlos Davidson, 1996, Library of Natural Sounds, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850 (607) 254-2404, email: libnatsounds@cornell.edu, 82 tracks, one hour, ISBN: 0-938027-30-1; CD includes 38 species for Yukon, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. Also available as a cassette.

This recording is organized a little differently from the Pacific Coast version -- there is a reference section containing the calls of individual species in the same taxonomic order, then a test section with samples of calls and species identification for testing. The book contains much of the same general information on frog and toad calls as is in the Pacific Coast recording, and the test section lists which recordings have the species for a particular group of states and provinces (for example Colorado and Utah species are covered in test recordings 4 through 26, or band 80). The numbering system in both recordings for book vs. the CD is a little confusing, but not difficult.

"The Calls of Frogs and Toads", Lang Elliott, 1994, Naturesound Studios, NorthWord Press, P.O. Box 1360, Minocqua,WI 54548, 1-800-336-5666, 64:05 minutes, 43 tracks, NSCD 26572.

This CD (also available as cassette) is a guide to calls of the 42 species of frogs and toads of eastern and central North America, arranged by family. There is also a 48 page booklet with notes on the frog life cycle, call types, ranges, descriptions and data for each species and the recordings. Each species' call (usually < 1 minute) is introduced by its common and scientific name, then several samples of that frog's call are played, often 1 or 2 individuals and then a chorus. The 43rd track (32:18) is an introduction to the functions frog and toad calls -- advertisement, release, rain, distress calls; calls of aggression (competition for a calling site), call alternation (2 males purposefully alternating their calls so that they can be told apart); and effects of size and temperature. There are also hybrids and some mixed choruses. Text for each species includes common name, scientific name, size, range, habitat, habits, and verbal description of calls. I recommend this as the most current and thorough for explaining frog calls, for the eastern half of the country.
Cassette version suggested retail: $12.95 Compact Disc version suggested retail: $16.95
<http://www.naturesound.com/guides/pages/frogs.html>

"Field Recordings of Maine Frogs and Toads", Hunter, M.L., Jr., A. J. K. Calhoun, and M. MacCollough (ed.). 1999. University of Maine Press, Orono. 252 pp. (includes CD with anuran calls) ISBN 0-89101-096-3.

The CD portion is narrated by Lang Elliot and includes recordings of 10 species (9 known from Maine, one of possible occurrence in Maine): spring peeper, wood frog, northern leopard frog, pickerel frog, American toad, gray treefrog, green frog, bullfrog, mink frog, Fowler's toad. The next section includes various mixed choruses, followed by a "test section" in which members of mixed choruses are identified after the recording. Phone number for University of Maine Press: 207-581-1408; Zoo Book Sales has it listed in current catalogue for $19.95.

"Talking Toad and Frog Poster", Tom Johnson. This is advertised in the back of his book as "Talking Toad and Frog Poster," Missouri Department of Conservation, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102-0180). Covers the 20 species of Missouri toads and frogs (omits the northern leopard frog).

"The Calls of Kansas Frogs and Toads" by Keith Coleman, with narration by Joseph T. Collins, 1998 (cassette, available from Kansas Heritage Photography, 1-785-836-2119 or email: wakarusa@cjnetworks.com).

"Calls of Minnesota's Frogs and Toads", produced by Lang Elliott for the Minnesota Frog Watch, 1998.

"A Guide to Night Sounds" by Lang Elliott, 1992 (ISBN 1-878194-03-8), which includes lots of insects, mammals, birds, as well as 10 frog and toad calls. 65-minute audio with 36-page booklet.
Cassette version suggested retail: $12.95 Compact Disc version suggested retail: $16.95
<http://www.naturesound.com/guides/pages/night.html>

"Frog Talk", Robert W Baldwin, 1990, NorthSound, 58:34 minutes. NorthWord Press, Inc., P.O. Box 1360, Minocqua, WI 54548, (800) 336-5666, 58:34 total time, NSCD 02472:

This CD has 2 tracks, 29:20 & 29:14 long, with no narration and only a brief 2 paragraph commentary (with a quote from Henry David Thoreau). The choruses are dominated by spring peepers, with wood, leopard, green, pickerel, mink, & gray tree frogs audible in the background.

"Frog Heaven", Richard Hooper, 1992, Nature Recordings, World Disc Productions, P.O. Box 2749, Friday Harbor, WA 98250, 360-378-3979, 1-800-228-5711, 60:45 total time, CDN 17.

There is no narration on this recording (also available as cassette), it is a series of frog choruses ranging from the Everglades to Sri Lanka to Pacific tree frogs on the San Juan Islands in Washington. There are 2 tracks (30:15 & 30:30), and within each track, the end of one chorus fades into the beginning of the next. The CD lists the frogs heard, however only by general common names (pig frogs, wood frogs, peepers, bull frogs), or habitat type such as "stream frogs" or "night frogs" in each chorus, and the elapsed time.

"Sounds of the America Southwest", by Charles M. Bogert, 1954, Folkways Records, 43 W. 61st St., NYC 10023, American Museum of Natural History. 12 page booklet copyright 1959. Folkways number FX6122.

Recorded in the Chiricahua Mountains, the Tucson region, and California. Pacific tree frog, Western Spadefoot toad, Desert toad, Sonoran Spadefoot toad, Canyon tree frog, Great Plains toad, Little Green toad, Colorado River toad, and rattlesnakes are heard in this recording, along with mammals, birds, and thunderstorms. The enclosed booklet discusses the areas recordings were made in, and why animals call.

"The Songs of Insects of the Eastern United States", Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology, 1956, Produced by Richard D. Alexander and Donald J. Borror, published by Houghton Mifflin, Boston; record number CH 1085A.

Charles Bogert's Wonderful World of Frogs and Croaks -- a sampling of "Sounds of North American Frogs." <http://www.si.edu/folkways/frogmain.htm>

Frogs and Toads in Color and Sound by Lang Elliott, NatureSound Studio. This page designed and copyrighted 1997 by Lang Elliott, NatureSound Studio, PO Box 84, Ithaca, New York 14851-0084. Telephone: 607-257-4995. Lang Elliott e-mail: lang@naturesound.com <http://www.naturesound.com/frogs/frogs.html>

Calls of Illinois frogs: <http://dnr.state.il.us/frog/>

Surveying using frog calls <http://www.mp1-pwrc.usgs.gov/amphib/Frogcall.html>

As far as getting these recordings is concerned, I have included publishing information and the more recent ones can be ordered through the mail. The Laboratory of Natural Sounds no longer sells the recordings retail, but gave me numbers of 3 of their distributors: Wild Birds Unlimited 1-800-326-4928, Los Angeles Audubon Society 1-323-876-0202(they have the Davidson Rocky Mountain recording), or ABA 1-800-634-7736. One can also try nature and/or science stores, birding stores such as Wild Birds Unlimited, book stores which carry new or used recordings (Flora and Fauna Books, 121 1st Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104; 206-623-4727 has the Davidson Pacific Coast recording, and "Voices of the Night" cassette), visitors' centers of national parks and similar institutions, used record stores, and garage sales (I found a copy of "Voices of the Night" for 40 cents at one).

I have tried to be consistent with names, but you may find differences between recordings and between the scientific and common names -- the recordings span several decades, and some species have changed names. This is particularly apparent between the 2 editions of "Voices of the Night".

Rob Arlen
11808 Sunset Ave. NE
Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
(206) 855-8404

Last Updated on October 31, 2004.