Identification- 1.5-2.5" (3.8-6.4 cm) These two species are identical in appearance and cannot be differentiated in the field except by voice. They are usually referred to simply as "Gray Treefrog." As a true treefrog, the Gray Treefrog has large toepads which help it to climb trees. The base color is green, brown, or gray and there are several dark, lichenate blotches on the back. The skin is somewhat granular and warty, but the warts are not as prominent as Toads. The concealed skin beneath the hind legs is yellow or orange with black markings.
    Voice- Musical, sometimes flute-like, trill. The speed of the trill is faster in Cope's Gray Treefrog (H. chrysoscelis) than the Common Gray Treefrog (H. versicolor) making Cope's sound more like a continuous tone.  Common Gray Treefrog is slower, resembling the call of a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Range- The Gray Treefrogs are somewhat local in distribution, but found throughout New York and Pennsylvania.  The ranges of the two species have not been perfectly delineated although it seems Cope's Treefrog is most common in the south.
 

Habitat- Woodlands. Most often found in trees bordering bogs, marshes, ponds, and other bodies of stagnant water.

Reproduction- Breeds in late spring to early summer. Males have dark or mottled throats, while females have white throats.  700-3800 eggs are laid in small masses of approximately 40 eggs each and are attached to aquatic or emergent vegetation. The tadpoles, which hatch a few days after oviposition, are golden yellow with a high crested red or orange tail with heavy black mottling. Transformation occurs 6-8 weeks later.

General Characteristics-
The two Gray Treefrogs are identical in appearance and were considered a single species for quite a long time. It is possible to tell them apart by voice, Cope's Gray Treefrog possesses a faster trill.  A second way to differentiate the species is chromosome count. Cope's Gray Treefrog has half as many chromosomes as the Common. This specialized technique can only be done in a laboratory. Because of the difficulty in identification, the actual ranges of the two species has yet to be worked out. It is possible that the ranges only overlap at certain portions of their range and one species or another may predominate. Gray Treefrogs are extremely well camouflaged and are difficult to find. They are most commonly seen in small trees and shrubs bordering the water and are seldom seen on the ground, except in the breeding season.  Driving wet roads at night in late spring is the best way to find them.  They are nocturnal (although not strictly) and feed mostly on invertebrates.