Details
Bombina bombina
The European fire-bellied toad is a small wetland frog of eastern Europe. Its red-and-black belly is flashed in warning, and males give a low, resonant call.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It occurs in lowlands of central and eastern Europe, using ponds, marshes, floodplains and shallow still water. Sunny, vegetated ponds are especially important.
Adults are about 2.6-5.6 cm long. The back is gray, brown or green with small warts, while the belly is mottled red to orange and black.
It may be active by day, floating near the surface while calling. When threatened, it arches the body to expose the bright belly as a toxin warning.
Small insects, flies, beetles, worms and other invertebrates are eaten. The toad hunts around water edges and in shallow water.
Breeding runs from spring into summer in shallow water. Eggs are attached to vegetation, and tadpoles develop in warm, plant-rich ponds.
The species is globally Least Concern, but drainage, pollution and pond loss cause local declines. Creating conservation ponds has helped some populations recover.
