Tuesday Tunes: The Whistling Tree Frogs of Bermuda

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The song of the Whistling Tree Frog is one of the infamous sounds of a Bermuda night.  These tiny creatures create a beautiful evening sound as they accompany the gentle breezes with their sweet symphony—all from the sound of a cent!  “Gleep, gleep.”

Only about the size of a thumbnail, the tree frogs are slight in stature but big in presence. If you’re lucky enough to see one, you’ll be surprised to discover that such a big noise can come from such a small amphibian.

There are two species of Whistling Frogs (Tree Frogs) in Bermuda. The Eleutherodactylus johnstonei and Eleutherodactylus gossei, the first of the two is more common and smaller while the other has almost disappeared. Both are brownish, nocturnal, living in trees near the ground and by day hiding under stones and leaves.

They are one of the most characteristic night sounds of Bermuda between April and November. They can be heard island-wide when the weather is warm enough (above 69 degrees) but are most common in the Parishes of Devonshire, Paget, Pembroke and Warwick.

They are not indigenous – both were introduced accidentally sometime prior to 1880, most likely on orchids imported from the Lesser Antilles. They can be found elsewhere in temperate and sub-tropical regions, but mainly can be found singing loudly at night.

Here’s a snippet of the enchanting Tree Frogs’ melody.  Enjoy!

Categories: Nature, Photography, Travel, Tuesday Tunes

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36 Comments »

  1. How I LOVE frogs! I married one after all 😉 In Massachusetts I was lulled by the belching bullfrogs and one day I will accompany my husband to Hawaii on one of his arduous (!) trips to his observatory there and listen to the Koki Frogs beep beeping like the radio signals that his telescopes are collecting as data to turn into pictures of things in the universe we can only imagine. I can only imagine how beautiful it is to be lulled by those little Whistling Frogs and I will listen to them again and again. Thankyou Tonya! xo

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  3. That is a pretty sound. Kinda steady and sweet. I could probably sleep to that. I’m so accustomed to the sound of cicadas and crickets I always struggle to sleep in tropical places. My mother’s neighborhood must have bullfrogs the size of my dog, lol, and the wind chimes, oy!

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  10. So pretty. It must be wonderful to hear, right there. The first sign of spring in New England are the peepers, frogs in wetlands. Oh, what a lovely sound to announce that spring has arrived!

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  15. Pingback: Tuesday Tunes: The Whistling Tree Frogs of Bermuda — fourth generation farmgirl – Site Title

    • It’s a lovely, serene sound. The best time to visit Bermuda is anytime after Memorial Day through October. It’s really hot in August but still nice. March is the worst time to go–rainy and windy. November and December are okay…just cooler.

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