Eastern banjo frog

Eastern banjo frog
Image: Tnarg 12345
Community type

Reed swamp

Habitat type

Tidal wetlands and macrophytes beds

This frog is more likely to be heard than seen, and is recognisable by its distinctive “bonk” call, likened to the sound of a banjo string being plucked. This is the basis for their other common name the ‘pobble bonk’ frog.It feeds at night on insects and insect larvae and lives in burrows in the ground, which it digs with its hind legs and proceeds in backwards. After rain they come out in large numbers. Males can travel up to 1km to reach breeding sites. Their life-cycle is extended in cooler climates, with a tadpole stage of up to 15 months, from 4 months in warmer climates. This is because metamorphosis speeds up in the warmth. There are five species of Eastern banjo frog in Australia and though common, they are frequently seen as an indicator of the health of wetland areas. Other frogs occurring in Murphy’s Flat wetlands include the Spotted Marsh Frog (Limnodynastes tasmaniensis), Brown Tree Frog (Litoria ewingii), and Brown Froglet (Crinia signifera).

Listen to their calls!

Much of the text within the species area of our website was written by Veronica Thorpe, as part of the Derwent River Wildlife Guide (2000).

The DEP has developed a variety of classroom and outdoor activities, including classroom materials, online resources, interpretive walks, games and sensory experience. These are focused around the key estuary habitats.