Granddad’s Camera
Common toad, as it appears in the game

No.020 · Amphibians · Uncommon

Common toad

Bufo bufo

Warty, brown, copper-eyed and slow-walking. Each spring adults trek back to their birth pond, often crossing roads on the way.

When to look

February to April, mostly at dusk and night.

Time of day

Best time
Night, especially on mild, damp evenings in February–April, when they migrate to breeding ponds.
Where in the game
Millbrook (pond, garden, churchyard, park and canal)
Size
Males up to about 8 cm, females up to about 13 cm (Froglife)
Population
Widespread but declining: counts from UK toad patrols fell in each decade from the 1980s (Petrovan & Schmidt, 2016)
Status
Priority species for conservation in England (NERC Act 2006, Section 41)

Diet

Slugs, beetles, spiders, ants and worms, hunted at night by sight and smell.

Habitat

Gardens, woods, hedges and grassland; needs deep ponds for spawning.

Breeding

Migrates to breeding ponds on mild, damp evenings, from as early as January to as late as April; lays long double-row strings of spawn wrapped round pond plants.

Field signs

  • Strings of spawn wrapped around pond plants
  • Toads squashed on roads in early spring
  • A slow, crawling walk, not a hop

Did you know?

  • Toads follow the same route back to their ancestral breeding pond each spring, even when it crosses roads.
  • Volunteer toad patrols carry toads across roads in buckets on migration nights; Froglife co-ordinates the Toads on Roads scheme.
  • Toads produce a toxin from glands on their backs, which is why predators sometimes leave the toad skin behind.

Moments worth waiting for

  • The toad crossing February to April, night and dusk
    Dozens of toads plod across the wet road in the torchlight, all heading for the same pond.
  • Piggyback pairs March to April, night and dusk
    A tiny male clings to a female's back on her walk to the water.

Photo tip

Torch with a red filter, low angle, and macro or short telephoto; a wet, glistening toad on a spring night is unmissable. Use no flash close to the eyes.

Be a good naturalist

Join a toad patrol rather than moving toads alone. Do not take toads, spawn or tadpoles from the wild; wash your hands after touching one.

The law

Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Schedule 5 (Section 9(5)): protected from sale and trade only. It is also a priority species under the NERC Act 2006.

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