Lithobates sylvaticus
Silhouette: Jose Carlos Arenas-Monroy · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
Lithobates sylvaticus or Rana sylvatica, commonly known as the wood frog, is a frog species that has a broad distribution over North America, extending from the boreal forest of the north to the southern Appalachians, with several notable disjunct populations including lowland eastern North Carolina. The wood frog has garnered attention from biologists because of its freeze tolerance, relatively great degree of terrestrialism (for a ranid), interesting habitat associations (peat bogs, vernal pools, uplands), and relatively long-range movements. It is the only North American frog that occurs north of the Arctic Circle.
The ecology and conservation of the wood frog has attracted research attention in recent years because they are often considered "obligate" breeders in ephemeral wetlands (sometimes called "vernal pools"), which are themselves more imperiled than the species that breed in them. The wood frog has been proposed to be the official state amphibian of New York.
Wood frogs range from 51 to 70 mm (2.0 to 2.8 in) in length. Females are larger than males. Adult wood frogs are usually brown, tan, or rust-colored, and usually have a dark eye mask. Individual frogs... Wikipedia →
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United States · 2026
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United States · 2026
© Jeff W · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
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United States · 2026
© Zach Bell · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elk Island National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Wood Buffalo National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Nahanni National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Riding Mountain National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Cape Breton Highlands National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 6 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Voyageurs National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Kluane National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 9 | Isle Royale National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Gros Morne National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 13 | Denali National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Jasper National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 15 | Banff National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Edmonton | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Montreal | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Calgary | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 8 | New York City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ecomuseum Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Squam Lakes Natural Science Center | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Toledo Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Trailside Museum & Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Georgia Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Ralph Perkins II Wildlife Center and Woods Garden | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Frog sighting in New York City on a given day, based on 96 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 7th most-seen of the 14 amphibians we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, July and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Wood Frog in New York City on a given day, against under 5% in April–June, August–September and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Wood Frog sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 9
Of the 9 cities where we can rate Wood Frog sightings, New York City ranks 8th at under 5%. The best odds are in Anchorage (United States, about 10%), Washington (United States, about 10%) and Edmonton (Canada, about 10%).
Same genus: Lithobates
The closest relatives of the Wood Frog that you can see in New York City (genus Lithobates, American Water Frogs) are American Bullfrog (about 20%) and Green Frog (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Wood Frog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in New York City (96 verified sightings), 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.
