California Treefrog

California Treefrog

Pseudacris cadaverina

Silhouette: Beth Reinke · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Joshua Tree National Park

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

68 Verified sightings at Joshua Tree National Park From 2019 to 2026
68 In 1 park
April Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the California Treefrog

The California tree frog or California chorus frog (Pseudacris cadaverina) is a "true" tree frog (family Hylidae) from southern California (USA) and Baja California (Mexico). Until recently, the California tree frog was classified in the genus Hyla.

It is a cryptically colored species of tree frog, often resembling granitic stones. It is grey or light brown on its dorsum with darker blotches, and has a whitish venter. It is yellow on the undersides of its legs, groin, and lower abdomen; males of the species have a dusky-yellow throat. The California tree frog has conspicuous toe webbing and pads, and its dorsal skin is roughened and warty. It is 2.9–5 cm (1.1–2.0 in) long from snout to vent.

This species is most likely to occur along streams with abundant boulders and cobbles in their channels. Its distribution is spotty and localized. These frogs are easily handled. California tree frog is not considered threatened by IUCN: it is a relatively common species with broad distribution, and there are no major threats, except perhaps UV radiation that reduces embryonic survival. Another possible threat to this frog species is habit fragmentation... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Recording0:13

Mexico · 2022

© Jorge H. Valdez · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:06

United States · 2023

© Ashwin Narayanan · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Recording0:06

United States · 2025

© Moses J. Michelsohn · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Los Angeles 🇺🇸 United States
~10%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a California Treefrog in Joshua Tree National Park?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a California Treefrog sighting in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, based on 68 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a California Treefrog in Joshua Tree National Park?

March and April

In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a California Treefrog in Joshua Tree National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July, the lowest month.

What time of day is best to see a California Treefrog?

Between 8 and 11 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most California Treefrog sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Where else can you see a California Treefrog?

Only Joshua Tree National Park, in our data

Joshua Tree National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate California Treefrog sightings: about 20% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the California Treefrog sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the California Treefrog is recorded against all the amphibians logged in Joshua Tree National Park (68 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.

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