Animal
American green tree frog
This bright green frog climbs in plants and has sticky pads on its toes. At night it calls: guank, guank!
The American green tree frog is a bright green frog of the southeastern United States, often with a pale stripe along each side. It lives in swamps, marshes and plant-filled pond edges, spending much of its life up in plants, and each finger and toe ends in a round, sticky pad. It is busy mostly at night, when males call a loud, nasal 'guank, guank'.
Dryophytes cinereus (family Hylidae; formerly Hyla cinerea) ranges along the US Coastal Plain from Delaware to southern Florida and west to south-central Texas and north from the Gulf Coast to southern Illinois, with introduced populations in Big Bend National Park, Texas, and on New Providence in the Bahamas. It is arboreal and mainly nocturnal. The IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group listed it as Least Concern (assessed 10 August 2020, published 2021): apparently common and likely stable, with no major threats.
Photo: gary_leavens, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Meet the American green tree frog
This frog is bright green.
It often has a pale stripe on its side.
Its toes have round, sticky pads.
The American green tree frog is a medium-sized tree frog with long legs and slender toes. It is light to dark green, and many have a white or pale yellow stripe that runs from the upper lip down the side. The stripe is different from place to place: in some frogs it is long, in others short, and some have none. Many have small gold spots on the back.
Grown-ups are about 3 to 6 centimeters long, and males are usually smaller than females.
SREL describes a medium-sized treefrog (3.2 to 5.7 cm) with long limbs, slender digits and expanded adhesive toe pads; usually bright green, often with a distinct white, yellow or occasionally iridescent lateral stripe whose length varies geographically and which may be absent; yellow flecking common; males generally smaller. MDC adds a pale stripe on the inside of the hind legs, a smooth back with a few small gold spots, a white or yellow belly, and a distinct round adhesive pad on each finger and toe; in most Missouri green treefrogs the side stripe stops halfway down the side and may be edged with a narrow black line.
Quick facts
- Group
- Amphibian
- Length
- 0.03 to 0.06 m
Swamps, marshes and porch lights
These frogs live in swamps and marshes.
They like places with lots of water plants.
Sometimes they visit houses at night!
American green tree frogs live in swamps, marshes and along the edges of ponds, lakes and streams, especially where lots of plants float on or grow up out of the water. By day they often rest on cattail leaves or other leaves, where their green color helps them hide.
They are also found around buildings: on porches and decks, and even in gutters and pipes. On warm, rainy nights they gather around porch and patio lights to catch the insects there.
IUCN: swamps, marshes and the edges of ponds, lakes and streams, particularly with abundant floating and emergent vegetation, from below sea level to about 300 m; by day individuals rest among cattail blades, other leaves or shaded branches. SREL: mainly Coastal Plain, abundant in swamps, weedy ponds, lake margins and other vegetated wetlands; frequently around porch and patio lights on warm, rainy nights, where insects concentrate. MDC: cattail marshes, cypress swamps, pond banks, river sloughs and oxbows; occasionally around buildings, porches, decks, gutters and pipes.
Continent
Its habitat
Where can you find this animal?
- Brought here by people · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
- Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
- Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Brought here by people · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Introduced to New Providence, on the Great Bahama Bank (IUCN).
Places: Bahamas.
Source: iucn-red-list · checked November 2026
Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Southeastern United States: the Coastal Plain from Delaware to southern Florida and west to south-central Texas, north to southeastern Oklahoma, southern Illinois and western Kentucky (IUCN). Also introduced in Big Bend National Park, Texas. An introduced population in Puerto Rico no longer lives there (IUCN).
Places: United States.
Source: iucn-red-list · checked November 2026
Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Counts of GBIF records of wild observations (human and machine) and preserved specimens. Records include introduced populations, vagrants, escaped or released animals and misidentifications, so a country with records is not necessarily part of the native range.
Wild sightings have been recorded in United States, Bahamas, Mexico, Canada, Nigeria, Germany, Panama, Puerto Rico and 1 more places.
Source: gbif · checked October 2026
Range maps show where scientists say an animal lives, often country by country. An animal may live in only part of a country shown, and sightings records can include animals that wandered far from home.
Night-time insect hunter
These frogs eat insects.
They hunt at night.
On warm nights, American green tree frogs climb through plants looking for insects, especially flies, moths, crickets, grasshoppers, ants and beetles. They eat mosquitoes too. One study found that they chase most of their prey, and that the most active insects were eaten most often.
In Missouri, small grassy fields beside forested wetlands are a good place to find many of them hunting. In turn, these frogs are food for birds, snakes, large fish and other animals.
MDC: on warm nights they climb among vegetation for insects, especially flies, moths, crickets, grasshoppers, ants and beetles. ADW lists flies, mosquitoes and other small insects, and reports a study (Freed 1980) in which nearly 90% of prey were actively pursued and the most active prey were eaten most often. Predators include birds, snakes and mammals (MDC) and large fish and other frogs (ADW).
Did you know?
This frog has probably ridden to new places with garden plants.
Green tree frogs have spread to new places, probably carried along with garden plants and pine straw.
Piedmont spread likely through transport of ornamental plants and pine straw (SREL).
Sticky toes and a green disguise
It has sticky pads on its toes.
Its green skin helps it hide on leaves.
Each finger and toe ends in a round, sticky pad, and this frog spends much of its life up in plants.
Its green color is a good disguise. When a green tree frog tucks in its legs and closes its eyes on a leaf or a blade of grass, it blends in with the leaves. In dry weather, to keep from drying out, it wipes a slimy layer from a skin gland over its head and body with its legs.
Expanded adhesive pads on every digit (SREL; MDC). Adults are good at hiding on grasses and other vegetation: with legs tucked in and eyes closed they blend in with the color of leaves (ADW). To reduce water loss in dry conditions, they wipe a mucous layer, produced by a skin gland, over the head and body with their limbs (MDC).
From egg to froglet in a few weeks
The mother lays eggs in still water.
The eggs hatch into tadpoles.
Soon the tadpoles turn into tiny frogs.
Green tree frogs lay their eggs in shallow, still water, and the tadpoles grow up among thick floating plants. In Missouri, eggs are laid from late May into early July. They hatch in just 2 to 3 days, and about 5 to 7 weeks later the tadpoles turn into froglets.
A young frog can be grown up within a year, and green tree frogs are known to live up to 6 years.
Eggs and larvae develop in shallow, still water; larvae occur mainly in dense floating vegetation (IUCN). In Missouri, egg laying is usually late May to early July; eggs hatch in 2 to 3 days and tadpoles transform 5 to 7 weeks later (late June to early September); females might produce more than one clutch a season; maturity can come within 1 year, and a lifespan of up to 6 years is known (MDC). Average clutch size in one Florida population was about 400 eggs, and some females laid more than one clutch (ADW).
A chorus like distant geese
At night, male frogs call: guank, guank, guank!
Lots of frogs calling together sound like geese far away.
Males call to attract females. They sit on plants beside the water, up to 5 meters above it, or on floating plants, and call a loud, nasal 'guank, guank, guank' with a ringing, metal-like sound. Calling starts after dark. A whole chorus of green tree frogs sounds like a flock of Canada geese far away.
Outside the breeding season, these frogs mostly live alone.
Advertisement call: a regular series of nasal 'guank' notes with a ringing or metallic quality, beginning after dark; a chorus resembles a distant flock of Canada geese (MDC). Males call from emergent vegetation, floating mats or perches up to 5 m high along pond and swamp margins (SREL; IUCN). Breeding March to October in the SREL region; in Missouri, choruses mid-April to early August (MDC). Mostly solitary outside the breeding season; most active in moist weather (ADW). Overwinters under logs, in thick leaf litter, under bark and in tree-hole crevices (MDC).
Did you know?
These frogs like porch lights at night.
On warm, rainy nights, green tree frogs often wait around porch and patio lights, where lots of insects gather.
Frequently encountered at porch and patio lights on warm, rainy nights, exploiting concentrations of insects (SREL).
Common and spreading
There are lots of green tree frogs.
They are doing well.
The American green tree frog is listed as least concern: it lives across a wide area, it is common, and its numbers seem to be stable. It has no major threats, and people sometimes keep it as a pet.
It is even spreading to new places. In Georgia and South Carolina it has moved inland, probably carried with garden plants and pine straw, and people have taken it to Big Bend National Park in Texas and to the Bahamas.
Least Concern (IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group; Global; assessed 10 August 2020, published 2021; trend stable): wide distribution, presumed large population; no major threats; found in the international pet trade at levels not now a major threat; several protected areas. Introduced to Big Bend National Park, Texas, and New Providence, Bahamas; an introduced population in northwestern Puerto Rico no longer occurs (IUCN). Established populations have spread into the Piedmont, likely with ornamental plants and pine straw (SREL); IUCN recommends stricter inspections of ornamental plants to prevent further unintentional spread. In Missouri it appears to be expanding its range northward, though swamp drainage has destroyed much habitat there (MDC).
IUCN Red List
How is the american green tree frog doing in the wild?
- Least Concern (this animal)
- Near Threatened
- Vulnerable
- Endangered
- Critically Endangered
- Extinct in the Wild
- Extinct
Least Concern
Not at risk of disappearing from the wild right now.
Amazing facts
-
A big group of these frogs sounds like geese!
A chorus of green tree frogs calling together sounds like a flock of Canada geese far away.
Chorus resembles a distant flock of Canada geese (MDC).
-
These frogs like porch lights at night.
On warm, rainy nights, green tree frogs often wait around porch and patio lights, where lots of insects gather.
Frequently encountered at porch and patio lights on warm, rainy nights, exploiting concentrations of insects (SREL).
-
Its eggs hatch in just 2 or 3 days!
In Missouri, green tree frog eggs hatch in only 2 to 3 days.
Hatching in 2 to 3 days in Missouri (MDC).
-
This frog has probably ridden to new places with garden plants.
Green tree frogs have spread to new places, probably carried along with garden plants and pine straw.
Piedmont spread likely through transport of ornamental plants and pine straw (SREL).
Words to know
- toe pad
- a round, sticky pad on the tip of a frog's finger or toe
- tadpole
- a young frog that lives in water
- chorus
- many animals calling at the same time
- swamp
- a wet, flooded area where trees and bushes grow
- nocturnal
- active at night
- least concern
- not currently at serious risk of dying out in the wild
Discovery challenge
-
What is on the tips of this frog's toes?
What does an American green tree frog have on the tip of each finger and toe?
What structure tips each digit of Dryophytes cinereus?
- Sticky pads
- Sharp claws
- Tiny hooks
Show the answer
Sticky pads
Sticky toe pads!
Each finger and toe ends in a round, sticky pad.
Expanded adhesive pads on every digit (SREL; MDC).
-
When is this frog busy?
When are American green tree frogs most active?
What is the main activity pattern of Dryophytes cinereus?
- At night
- Only at noon
- Only in winter
Show the answer
At night
At night!
They are mainly nocturnal, hunting insects on warm nights.
Primarily nocturnal (SREL); forages on warm nights (MDC).
-
What does this frog's call sound like?
What does a male green tree frog's call sound like?
How is the advertisement call of Dryophytes cinereus described?
- Guank, guank, guank
- Ribbit-ribbit
- A long whistle
Show the answer
Guank, guank, guank
Guank, guank, guank!
It is a loud, nasal 'guank' with a ringing, metal-like sound.
A regular series of nasal 'guank' notes with a ringing or metallic character (MDC).
-
What do these frogs like to eat?
What do American green tree frogs eat?
What is the main diet of adult Dryophytes cinereus?
- Insects
- Seeds
- Fish
Show the answer
Insects
Insects!
Flies, moths, crickets, grasshoppers, ants, beetles and mosquitoes.
Insectivorous (MDC; ADW).
Places where you might see it
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Describe the American green tree frog's toe pads and colors.
- Explain how its color helps it hide.
- Describe the stages from egg to grown frog.
- Explain how people have helped this frog spread to new places.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a frog that hunts insects wait near a porch light at night?
- Why might a frog hide by tucking in its legs and closing its eyes?
- How could a tiny frog travel hundreds of kilometers in a pot of garden plants?
Try at home or in class
- Sticky toes: press a suction cup or a ball of soft modeling clay against a window, then try a dry fingertip. Talk about how sticky pads might help a frog that lives in plants.
- Hide the frog: cut a small frog from green paper and hide it among green leaves or grass outdoors or in a picture. How long does it take someone to find it?
Key vocabulary: toe pad, tadpole, chorus, swamp, nocturnal, least concern
Where these facts come from
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and GBIF Occurrence Search , Global Biodiversity Information Facility (CC0 1.0 (backbone); occurrence counts are facts derived from records under CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC)
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN terms of use (no redistribution of Red List data or range maps))
- Dryophytes cinereus (IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group, assessed 10 August 2020, published 2021) , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Dryophytes cinereus: taxonomy, justification, range, population, habitat, threats, trade and conservation text , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Dryophytes cinereus: IUCN Red List global assessment record (IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group 2021), IUCN checklist on GBIF , GBIF
- Green Treefrog (Dryophytes cinereus) , Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia
- Green Treefrog (field guide) , Missouri Department of Conservation
- Hyla cinerea (Matthew Nichols) , Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
- File:Dryophytes cinereus (Green Tree Frog) 03.jpg (gary_leavens, 7 August 2014) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file: Public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA only (credited on each page))
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.