Illinois chorus frogs are fossorial , which means they are adapted to digging and burrowing. The Illinois chorus frog uses its front legs to burrow in the sandy soil. They emerge from their burrows only to breed during late winter and occasionally to feed during summer rains. Courtship begins in Febrary, and may continue into early April. Frogs are stimulated to migrate between their burrowing areas and the breeding pools when heavy rains occur and temperatures exceed 48 degrees Fahrenheit.
Most calls begin after dark and continue into the night.
Females lay numerous clusters of eggs. Tadpoles develop into sub-adult frogs by May or June. The tadpoles eat suspended matter, organic debis, algae, and plant tissue, while adult frogs eat small insects and burrowing insect larvae. Historically, the Illinois chorus frog occurred throughout sandy grasslands in southeastern Missouri. The present range of the chorus frog includes isolated populations associated with specific soil types in Mississippi, Scott, Dunklin and New Madrid counties.