Leaf Green Tree Frog

Fascinating facts about the Leaf Green Tree Frog

• The leaf green tree frog is up to about 40 mm (1.6 inches) in length.
• A pale golden stripe runs from the nostril, across the eye, over the tympanum and down the side, underlined by a dark brown stripe.
• Males announce their presence with a distinctive “Erk…Ek…Ek…Derk” call from vegetation beside flowing streams, especially on warm spring, summer and autumn nights – a chorus you’ll hear echoing through suburban creeks around Sydney.
• This frog’s habitat stretches from Sydney northward along the New South Wales coast to the mid-north coast, inhabiting rain-forest streams, woodland, and both wet and dry sclerophyll forests, showing a surprising adaptability to varied forest types.
• Although it’s a wild amphibian, the leaf green tree frog can be kept as a pet in Australia, provided owners secure the proper licence – a reminder that even small native species can live alongside humans when regulations are followed.

At a glance

About the Leaf Green Tree Frog

The leaf green tree frog, known scientifically as Litoria phyllochroa, is a diminutive arboreal amphibian that rarely exceeds 40 mm (1.6 inches) from snout to vent. Its dorsal palette shifts from light green through dark olive to earthy browns, while a striking pale golden stripe runs from the nostril, across the eye, over the tympanum, and down the flank, underlined by a dark brown line. The forelimbs, groin, and thighs flash a vivid red-brown, and the belly remains a clean white. Its toes are three-quarters webbed with large adhesive discs, perfect for clinging to slick streamside vegetation. In the rain-soaked forests and sclerophyll woodlands of eastern Australia, stretching from the Queensland/New South Wales border down to Sydney, this frog makes its home along flowing streams, often perched on low foliage where it can launch its distinctive "Erk..Ek..Ek..Derk" call on warm spring, summer, and autumn nights. Males chorus from the water’s edge, their calls echoing through both pristine rainforests and suburban creeks near the sea, revealing a surprising adaptability to human-altered landscapes while still relying on the cool, oxygen-rich currents that define its niche.

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