If you live in the Perth Hills, you may come across the Humming Frog. If you hear or see Kyooya in an urban area, it means the local environment is doing well.
Threats: Habitat loss and predation by cats and foxes
Will they visit?: Motorbike Frogs will visit home gardens located near reserves and wetlands
Natural Distribution: Common and widespread through out the South West and Perth region
Humming Frog – (C) Joe Porter
Habitat at a Glance
See Habitat Guide for more detail
Shelter: Damplands, leaf litter, logs, and rockeries
Diet: Invertebrates
Water: Large frog ponds
ReWild Benefit: Pest control and an environmental indicator
Habitat Guide - Shelter
Natural Shelter
Humming Frogs prefer areas with good vegetation and dense shrub layers. A garden with fallen logs, plenty of rockeries, thick mulch, dense shrubs and trees will provide suitable shelter in the garden. Humming Frogs aestivate during summer by burrowing underground and forming a cocoon of dead skin to preserve water and stay cool. Once the rains return they emerge from their subterranean cocoon and will search for food and suitable breeding habitat.
Novel Shelter
Not required.
Habitat Guide - Food and Water
Providing natural sources of food
Humming Frogs eat invertebrates including insects. A dampland, frog pond, thick leaf litter, and an array of native shrubs, trees, and groundcovers will attract invertebrates to the garden. Solar lights in the garden will attract flying insects and provide potential prey for Humming Frogs.
Providing sources of water
Humming Frogs require well vegetated frog ponds with varying depths and prefer rocky areas nearby. Below is a template for a suitable frog pond. Before you build:
Frogs are incredibly noisy, please be courteous of neighbors and peoples bedrooms.
Use chlorine free water by using water conditioner or standing a bucket of tap water outdoors for a minimum of 24 hours.
Include native fish in the pond to control mosquito larvae.
ReWild Benefits
With a low-pitched hum or trill, humming frogs can be difficult to spot in a frog pond due to their mottled brown colouring. Frogs and their tadpoles are sensitive critters. Our native frogs are environmental indicators. If you hear or see many frogs in an urban area, it means the local environment is healthy with good ecological function. Frogs are critical for the environment as they help to control many pest species and provide food for other animals such as birds. If you have frogs in the garden you can record their call via Frog ID to help scientists monitor their population.
