20/03/2026
HEADS UP: It's World Frog Day:
World Frog Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness for frogs and other amphibians. Frog populations have been under threat, and many species are disappearing, or have already gone extinct!
The Greater Blue Mountains World Heritage Area is home to at least 25 frog species, and several are under serious pressure.
The species that carries our region's name, the Blue Mountains tree frog (Ranoidea citropa) see photo, lives along rocky streams in the sclerophyll forests of the upper mountains. Its reliance on cool highland waterways makes it sensitive to changes in water quality and flow.
The Red-crowned Toadlet (Pseudophryne australis), listed as vulnerable in NSW, is confined entirely to the Sydney Basin. It reaches the western edge of its range along the Blue Mountains escarpment, breeding in temporary soaks and leaf-filled firetrail gutters on sandstone ridges. Its range is narrow, and even small ridgetop disturbances can wipe out local populations.
Littlejohn's tree frog (Litoria littlejohni), listed as endangered, also occurs in the Blue Mountains. In September 2025, University of Newcastle scientists bred it in captivity for the first time, producing 90 healthy tadpoles after three years of effort.
These frogs face mounting threats. Chytrid fungus has been in Australia since at least 1978 and drove mass frog deaths across eastern Australia in 2021 and 2022. The Australian Museum received over 1,600 reports of sick or dead frogs in 2021 alone. The Black Summer bushfires of 2019-2020 also burned through significant frog habitat, and habitat loss from development and altered drainage remains an ongoing concern.
The most practical thing anyone in the Blue Mountains can do is download the Australian Museum's free FrogID app and record frog calls. The project has gathered over a million records, with 86% coming from private land, filling critical gaps in conservation knowledge.
These small creatures have been calling from our creeks and sandstone ridges far longer than we have been here. They deserve our attention.
More info: https://worldfrogday.org/
