European tree frog
Hyla arborea
The European tree frog is a small frog and the only arboreal amphibian species found in Central Europe. It is characterized by its smooth, usually bright green skin and distinctive adhesive pads on its digits that enable it to climb vegetation. A prominent dark lateral stripe runs from the nostril through the eye along the flank.
Profile
3cm
5cm
0.005kg
12yr
5°C
30°C
Details
Identification
Smooth skin, usually grass-green (color variable), adhesive discs on toe tips, dark longitudinal stripe on the side, males with a large, yellowish vocal sac.
Social behavior
Males form loud calling choruses at spawning sites during the breeding season; largely solitary outside the reproduction period.
Diet
Insects such as flies, mosquitoes, beetles, and butterflies, as well as spiders, which are often caught mid-leap.
Hunting strategy
Ambush predator in vegetation; uses its sticky tongue and long leaps to catch prey.
Spawning substrate
Aquatic plants or floating vegetation in shallow, sunny areas of water bodies.
Overwintering
Overwintering on land in frost-free hideouts such as burrows, under dead wood, or in rock piles.
Ecology
Ecological role
Important consumer of insects and simultaneously prey for various birds, snakes, and small predatory mammals.
Natural predators
Herons, storks, grass snakes, martens, and larger predatory fish (for larvae).
Competitor species
Other amphibian species with similar spawning site requirements, though low competition due to its ecological niche in the vegetation.
Ecosystem service
Biological pest control through the consumption of insects.
Threats
Habitat loss through drainage, intensification of agriculture, fish stocking in small water bodies, and pesticide use.