Red-eyed CoquiEleutherodactylus antillensis

The Red-eyed Coqui (Eleutherodactylus antillensis) is one of a confusing group of small frogs found in Puerto Rico.  The Red-eyed Coqui occurs in Puerto Rico and the British and US Virgin Islands.

Its call is best described as a sharp "ta-deek".  It almost sounds like the highly amplified sound of water dripping.

Here is a Red-eyed Coqui calling in the El Yunque area of the main island of Puerto Rico.  

In the background of the previous recording, you can hear the upward "fingernail-over-the-comb" type trill similar to the call of some of  North American chorus frogs in the genus Pseudacris.
The speed of the trill can also vary.  Here is another group of E. antillensis from El Yunque doing the trill along with the "ta-deek" call, but this time the trill is much slower.

Here is an E. antillensis from the Puerto Rican Island of Culebra making its "ta-deek" call followed by short trill then some more "ta-deek" calls.

And here is another pair of males calling from Isla Culebra.

Although these "Red-eyed" Coquis I recorded on Culebra, PR sounded just like the species on the main island, they didn't have the red eyes of the mainland population.  The striped pattern seen here is variable and apparently several species of Puerto Rican Eleutherodactylus can have this pattern.  I assume they are the same species as the mainland population, but it is hard to be sure in this confusing group of frogs.

© Chris Harrison 2013