As part of the ongoing effort to provide English-language resources about wildlife in China’s capital city, Wild Beijing is pleased to be able to offer a guide to the amphibians that can be found in the city. This guide has been compiled by R. Nicolas LOU, ZHANG Junduo and Ben WIELSTRA, to whom Wild Beijing owes great thanks.
As with the other guides in the series, we acknowledge that this document is not perfect and the authors welcome any information, photographs and sound recordings that will improve the guide. Please contact us via the contact form below. Thank you!
The format of this guide follows the other guides in providing the English name, scientific name, Chinese name and the pinyin (pronunciation of the Chinese) and follows the order and taxonomy of “Amphibian Species of the World 6.0, an online reference” by Darrel R Frost (see here). Photos of different stages of the life-cycle and sound recordings are included where available.
As of July 2025, a new English-language Field Guide to the Reptiles and Amphibians of Beijing has been published. Written by Beijing-based herpetologist, Scott Lupien, it covers the 33 species of reptile and amphibian to be found in the capital. For more information and/or to order a copy, please visit http://beijingherps.com/
The Amphibians
Frogs and Toads
1. Asiatic Toad Bufo gargarizan 中华⼤蟾蜍 Zhōnghuá dà chánchú
Common in Beijing and can be seen from early spring throughout the summer.
Asiatic Toad Bufo gargarizan 中华⼤蟾蜍 Zhōnghuá dà chánchú, Huairou District, 14 August 2021 (Terry Townshend)
Asiatic Toad Bufo gargarizan 中华⼤蟾蜍 Zhōnghuá dà chánchú, Shunyi District, 4 July 2021 (Terry Townshend)
Asiatic Toad Bufo gargarizan 中华⼤蟾蜍 Zhōnghuá dà chánchú, amplexus, 23 March 2018 (Ben Wielstra)
Asiatic Toad Bufo gargarizan 中华⼤蟾蜍 Zhōnghuá dà chánchú, spawn, 24 March 2018 (Ben Wielstra)
Asiatic Toad Bufo gargarizan 中华⼤蟾蜍 Zhōnghuá dà chánchú, tadpoles, 21 April 2017 (Yu Yalun)
2. Mongolian Toad Strauchbufo raddei 花背蟾蜍 Huā bèi chánchú
Mongolian Toad Strauchbufo raddei 花背蟾蜍 Huā bèi chánchú, 20 April 2014 (Chen Wei)
Mongolian Toad Strauchbufo raddei 花背蟾蜍 Huā bèi chánchú, 21 July 2015 (Zhang Junduo)
Mongolian Toad Strauchbufo raddei 花背蟾蜍 Huā bèi chánchú calls from May 2025 (Terry Townshend)
3. Boreal Digging Frog Kaloula borealis 北⽅狭⼝蛙 Běi fāng xiá kǒu wā
An explosive breeder that emerges after the summer monsoon rains, breeding in temporary pools. Spends most of its life in burrows.
Boreal Digging Frog Kaloula borealis 北⽅狭⼝蛙 Běi fāng xiá kǒu wā, 30 July 2015 (Chen Wei)
Boreal Digging Frog Kaloula borealis 北⽅狭⼝蛙 Běi fāng xiá kǒu wā, 11 June 2016 (Xing Chao)
Boreal Digging Frog Kaloula borealis 北⽅狭⼝蛙 Běi fāng xiá kǒu wā, spawn, 23 July 2023 (Wu Lan)
Boreal Digging Frog Kaloula borealis 北⽅狭⼝蛙 Běi fāng xiá kǒu wā, tadpoles, Shunyi District, 19 August 2020 (Terry Townshend)
Boreal Digging Frog Kaloula borealis 北⽅狭⼝蛙 Běi fāng xiá kǒu wā, song, Wenyu River, 23 July 2023
4. Dark-spotted Frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus ⿊斑侧褶蛙 Hēi bān cè zhě wā
The most common frog in Beijing. An early breeder. Can be heard in early spring in many parks and wetland areas, with young and adult frogs seen throughout the summer.
Dark-spotted Frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus ⿊斑侧褶蛙 Hēi bān cè zhě wā, Wenyu River, 30 June 2021 (Terry Townshend)
Dark-spotted Frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus ⿊斑侧褶蛙 Hēi bān cè zhě wā, Wenyu River, 9 July 2021 (Terry Townshend)
Dark-spotted Frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus ⿊斑侧褶蛙 Hēi bān cè zhě wā, tadpole, 16 June 2016 (Rao Yu)
Dark-spotted Frog Pelophylax nigromaculatus ⿊斑侧褶蛙 Hēi bān cè zhě wā, song, Olympic Forest Park, 8 June 2018 (Terry Townshend)
5. Beijing Gold-striped Frog Pelophylax plancyi ⾦线侧褶蛙 Jīn xiàn cè zhě wā
Beijing Gold-striped Frog Pelophylax plancyi ⾦线侧褶蛙 Jīn xiàn cè zhě wā, 22 July 2015 (Chen Wei)
Beijing Gold-striped Frog Pelophylax plancyi ⾦线侧褶蛙 Jīn xiàn cè zhě wā, tadpole, 4 June 2017 (Zhang Junduo)
6. Taihang Brown Frog Rana taihangensis 太行林蛙 Tàixíng lín wā
Seen along mountain streams, among other habitats.
Taihang Brown Frog Rana taihangensis 太行林蛙 Tàixíng lín wā , 3 July 2017 (Chen Wei)
Taihang Brown Frog Rana taihangensis 太行林蛙 Tàixíng lín wā, 23 March 2018 (Ben Wielstra)
Taihang Brown Frog Rana taihangensis 太行林蛙 Tàixíng lín wā, spawn, 23 March 2018
Taihang Brown Frog Rana taihangensis 太行林蛙 Tàixíng lín wā, tadpoles, 23 March 2018
Introduced/non-native
7. American Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana 美洲⽜蛙 Měizhōu niú wā
Can be heard and occasionally seen along the Wenyu River and in other wetland areas. Its deep, loud call is unmistakeable.
American Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana 美洲⽜蛙 Měizhōu niú wā and Asiatic Toad Bufo gargarizan 中华⼤蟾蜍 Zhōnghuá dà chánchú, 7 March 2016 (Zhang Junduo)
American Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana 美洲⽜蛙 Měizhōu niú wā, tadpoles, 28 June 2016 (Zhang Junduo)
American Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana 美洲⽜蛙 Měizhōu niú wā, song, Wenyu River, 17 June 2020 (Terry Townshend)
8. Oriental Fire-bellied Toad Bombina orientalis 东⽅铃蟾 Dōng fāng líng chán
Oriental Fire-bellied Toad Bombina orientalis 东⽅铃蟾 Dōng fāng líng chán, 18 April 2015 (Chen Wei)
Header photo: Asiatic Toad Bufo gargarizan 中华⼤蟾蜍 Zhōnghuá dà chánchú, Shunyi District, 4 July 2021 (Terry Townshend)
