Yellow-bellied Toad

Yellow-bellied Toad

Bombina variegata

Silhouette: Luca Leicht · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~30% · Possible
at Bavarian Forest National Park

In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%

49 Verified sightings at Bavarian Forest National Park From 2019 to 2026
187 In all 4 parks
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Yellow-bellied Toad

The yellow-bellied toad (Bombina variegata) belongs to the order Anura, the archaeobatrachial family Bombinatoridae, and the genus of fire-bellied toads. The toad is distributed mainly across western Europe as well as a handful of countries in eastern Europe. While the population of the toad is steadily decreasing over time, its numbers are not critical enough to be considered threatened or extinct. Conservation efforts in Germany are taking place to remedy the declining population before it is too late.

The toad is characterized by its bright 'yellow belly,' and has a dark brown and green dorsal body. The toad displays crypsis to camouflage itself from predators. It also positions itself to display yellow coloration when facing a threat. The warts found on the dorsal side allow for the toad's toxins to be readily excreted when needed.

Specimens range from 28–56 mm, typically weighing between 2.3 and 12 g. This places them among the smaller members of the family Bombinatoridae, which can reach sizes of 7 cm. Their top side is grey-brown, often with washed-out, bright spots. Their under side, including the inner sides of the limbs, fingers, and toes, is grey-blue to... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Advertisement call0:21

France · 2021

© Olivier SWIFT · XC951686 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Territorial call0:48

Italy · 2024

© Jessica Peruzzo · XC922877 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Recording0:36

Germany · 2020

© Andreas Basch · XC570907 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Triglav National Park 🇸🇮 Slovenia
~50%
2 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~30%
3 Tatra National Park 🇸🇰 Slovakia
~20%
4 Ecrins National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Pairi Daiza 🇧🇪 Belgium In captivity
2 Civic Aquarium of Milan 🇮🇹 Italy In captivity
3 Slimbridge Wetland Centre 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
4 Berlin Zoological Garden 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
5 Wilhelma 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
6 Le Cornelle 🇮🇹 Italy In captivity
7 Zagreb Zoo 🇭🇷 Croatia In captivity
8 Zoo de Servion 🇨🇭 Switzerland In captivity
9 Alpenzoo Innsbruck 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
10 Tierpark Herborn 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
11 Vancouver Aquarium 🇨🇦 Canada In captivity
12 Freiland-Aquarium und -Terrarium Stein 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
13 Aquarium Berlin 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
14 Tierpark Schlichtweg 15 in München 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
15 Zoo Schlichtweg 11 in München 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-bellied Toad in Bavarian Forest National Park?

Possible

About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-bellied Toad sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 49 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 8 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Yellow-bellied Toad in Bavarian Forest National Park?

May

In that month about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-bellied Toad in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in October to February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Yellow-bellied Toad?

Between 11 am and 2 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-bellied Toad sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Bavarian Forest National Park the best place to see a Yellow-bellied Toad?

2nd of 4

Of the 4 parks where we can rate Yellow-bellied Toad sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park ranks 2nd at about 30%. The best odds are in Triglav National Park (Slovenia, about 50%).

Which relatives of the Yellow-bellied Toad live in Bavarian Forest National Park?

Same order: Anura

The closest relatives of the Yellow-bellied Toad that you can see in Bavarian Forest National Park (order Anura, Frogs and Toads) are European Common Frog (about 50%), European Toad (about 40%) and Agile Frog (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Yellow-bellied Toad sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-bellied Toad is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (49 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

← Back to Bavarian Forest National Park