Common Eurasian spadefoot toad vs Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan

Pelobates fuscus compared with Andigena hypoglauca

Key Differences

• Common Eurasian spadefoot toad is Critically Endangered while Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Eurasian spadefoot toad	Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Amphibia (Amphibians)	Aves (Birds)
Order	Anura (Frogs & Toads)	Piciformes (Piciformes)
Family	Pelobatidae	Ramphastidae
Genus	Pelobates	Andigena
Species	Pelobates fuscus	Andigena hypoglauca

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Eurasian spadefoot toad and Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Common Eurasian spadefoot toad

CR — Critically Endangered

Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan

NT — Near Threatened

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Eurasian spadefoot toad	Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Eurasian spadefoot toad

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate coniferous forests, and boreal forests and taiga, among 8 distinct biome types within the Palearctic biogeographic realm. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Russia, and Sweden. Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Common Eurasian spadefoot toad

<em>Pelobates fuscus</em>, the common Eurasian spadefoot toad, is a fossorial amphibian in the family Pelobatidae, listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List, reflecting severe population declines and an urgent conservation status across its range. The species is documented in Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Russia, and Sweden, and is associated with multiple biome types in the Palearctic region, typically favoring sandy, loose soils in agricultural landscapes, sandy heathlands, and open forests that facilitate its burrowing lifestyle. <em>Pelobates fuscus</em> spends the majority of its life underground, emerging primarily during the breeding season in spring to migrate to shallow, well-vegetated ponds, ditches, and slow-moving waterbodies for reproduction. The species is characterized by its smooth, mottled skin, large golden or yellowish eyes with vertical pupils, and the hardened metatarsal tubercle on each hind foot that serves as a digging tool. Tadpoles of this species are unusually large and can take up to five months to metamorphose. Primary threats include habitat loss through land-use change, drainage of breeding ponds, agricultural intensification, road mortality during migration, and degradation of sandy habitats essential for burrowing. Conservation efforts focus on habitat restoration and the creation of wildlife corridors. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.

Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan

Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan (Andigena hypoglauca) is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List. Close to qualifying as threatened, with populations that may become vulnerable without conservation action.