[eaglehaslanded]

On Dec. 23 I took a series of photos of a Downy Woodpecker which happened to have a tree frog clinging to its back. There are 4 photos in the original posted series (on Flickr) and an additional close up of the frog in a fifth photo located in the comment section below the other photos.

At first, there was some discussion in the comments as to what this was on the back of the bird. Some folks thought it could be a wound of some sort or even brush material stuck to the back via tree sap. But I'm now personally convinced the rider is a tree frog. Please take a look at the photos if you are interested! Thanks for looking!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dsdavenport/4214866019/
Dennis S Davenport

[lashinala]

Great pic. Interesting implications on biogeography. Why hop on the ground when you can take a free flight.

[captaincarot]

i keep frogs as a hobby and i've never heard of anything like that at all.

though i can see one advantage to the frog in that the bird is warm blooded.

the frog won't be stuck as some people have suggested they are moist not sticky. it has probably found a nice warm spot which is helping it digest it's last meal, no doubt it is currently enduring a cold spell and any source of heat will be appreciated.
conversely the fact that being on the bird is keeping it wamer than it normally would be other wise may well cause it to starve to death if it can't find a source of readily available food once it's used up it's reserves.

[KCFoggin]

Well, I've blown this up to 400% and I can't think of anything else that color other than a tree frog.

Now, I've seen them on the back of my dog many times and then it's always fun getting them out of the house w/o harming them in any way

[captaincarot]

Originally Posted by KCFoggin

Well, I've blown this up to 400% and I can't think of anything else that color other than a tree frog.

Now, I've seen them on the back of my dog many times and then it's always fun getting them out of the house w/o harming them in any way

the simple rules of handling amphibians.

always handle with wet hands. preferably with untreated water, (rainwater pond water, rather than tap water)

do not use detergents, soaps or perfumes on your hands before handling. they will be absorbed through the skin and poison the frog.

then it's just a case of placing your hands in a dome over the frog. scooping it up and keeping it in the middle.

once you have released it wash your hands again because some frogs have irritant/poisonous substances in their skin.

the difficult thing is getting a pet tree frog that's made a run for it when you open the door to feed them down from the ceiling of the living room.

[Gretchen]

Originally Posted by KCFoggin

Now, I've seen them on the back of my dog many times and then it's always fun getting them out of the house w/o harming them in any way

Wow I've never heard of that before! I wonder why the frogs want to do that - to see new places (food sources)? And doesn't the dog try to remove the freeloader?

Has anyone else heard or seen frogs doing that with any other animals?

[chowchilla]

Originally Posted by Gretchen

Wow I've never heard of that before! I wonder why the frogs want to do that - to see new places (food sources)? And doesn't the dog try to remove the freeloader?

Has anyone else heard or seen frogs doing that with any other animals?

I was actually wondering why the woodpecker hadn't tried to remove the frog. It must know it's there!

[Gretchen]

Originally Posted by chowchilla

I was actually wondering why the woodpecker hadn't tried to remove the frog. It must know it's there!

And it would not assist the bird aerodynamically!

[Azzy]

What an incredible photo series, it's clearly a frog to me... it's amazing the considerable amount of weight the frog must be adding to an animal that's already so small... that's quite amazing.