Bird-Voiced Tree Frog: It sings it dances… well maybe not
Known quite well from Florida to Tennessee the Bird-Voiced tree frog is among the first to signal the beginning of what I like to call “Frog season”. It’s loud but beautiful chirp is always a pleasant addition to a beautiful spring night. So with our to much delay let’s make like Cassidy and HOP along. That right folks, more hopping puns today.
History and Environment:
As always I like to talk about the discovery and classification of our critters and it’s no different for the Bird-voiced Tree Frog. First discovered in 1843 and classified in the genus Dryophytes but was later classified in the genus Hyla in 1882. In 2014 Dryophytes was classified as a subspecies of Hyla and was then changed again in 2016 to be its own genus. The deciding factor being Dryophytes are found in the new world, a.k.a North America, and Hyla is found in the old world or Europe.
These little guys live in the same habitats that we have talked about previously. They are mostly found in swamps and other wet environment but can also be found near pools, ponds, and in the rainforest of Appalachia. They first started in the panhandle of Florida and made their way up all the way to Tennessee and Virginia. So they’ve got quite the range and the adaptability to handle it.
And Then Humans:
Well as has been common theme for the past few episodes humans aren’t doing anything to the bird-voiced tree frog. The populations are large in number and show no sign of decline. Destroying their habitat COULD be harmful to them but as of right now nothing is discouraging growth.
As humans we of course do harm the environments of the animals around us and the Bird-Voiced Tree Frog is no exception. We destroy the swamps and wet lands they live in and make room for ourselves. While this hasn’t affected them YET if we continue this trend it won’t be long before we see the negative effects.
Current Status:
As I mentioned a second ago the Bird-Voiced tree frog is doing just fine. Ranked least concern they aren’t exactly thriving per say, but with large stable populations showing no signs of decline I’d say there aren’t any worries with this one.
As mentioned earlier we are actively destroying their home but not to the extent that we usually do. They have such a large range that it’s nearly impossible to drive them out of their homes without completely wiping out the environment we live in. However that doesn’t mean we should continue. We need to be conscious of the consequences of our actions and stay ahead while we can.
Oops! I Can Fix That!
Well one thing we can do for these critters is not destroy their environment and keep their waters clean. Beyond that we’re actually doing good here. This isn’t a case of the critter thriving despite the odds there’s genuinely no threat to this frog. For now anyway…
We can be considerate in our “expansion” and remember we aren’t the only ones who live in our environments. The biggest thing we as humans do is get self-righteous and forget we are part of a larger collective that all works together to create our home. If we can correct that behavior and be more mindful then our froggy friends will be just fine
Sum It Up Buttercup
Well while we may be doing good with the Bird-Voiced tree frog there are definitely plenty of places and critters we can do better with. We as humans need to be more mindful and remember we aren’t alone on this earth. Other than that I’d say we are doing pretty good.