Drab Tree Frog

Drab Tree Frog

Smilisca sordida

Silhouette: Dmitry Bogdanov (vectorized by T. Michael Keesey) · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
19 Verified sightings at Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve From 2019 to 2026
168 Verified sightings across all 16 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month highest sighting rate
🌙 Nocturnal When it's spotted during nighttime hours (6pm–6am)

About the Drab Tree Frog

The Veragua cross-banded tree frog (Smilisca sordida) is a species of frog in the family Hylidae found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, rivers, plantations, rural gardens, urban areas, heavily degraded former forests, and canals and ditches. Scientists have observed it as high in the hills as 1525 meters above sea level.

The adult male frog measures 36.2 mm long in snout-vent length and the adult female frog 56.3 mm. The skin of the dorsum is gray-brown in color and the belly is lighter. It has purple skin near the groin. There are light marks over the eyes and stripes on the legs.

The tadpoles are 3.2 cm long. They live at the bottom of the stream and hold onto the rocks with their mouths. The sister species of S. sordida is Smilisca sila, the Panama cross-banded tree frog. Both species utilize a basin construction reproductive model. Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Piedras Blancas National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~40%
2 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
3 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~20%
4 Arenal Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
5 Carara National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
6 Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
7 Corcovado National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
8 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
~10%
9 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
10 Chirripó National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
11 Marino Ballena National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
12 Palo Verde National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
13 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
14 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
15 Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
16 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Drab Tree Frog in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Drab Tree Frog sighting in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Drab Tree Frog in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve?

September has the highest sighting rate for Drab Tree Frog in Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve in our monthly data.

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