Distribution:
Found throughout much of the eastern third of the state, generally east of the Flint Hills.
A specimen from Trego County (FHSM 5857) has been examined and is characteristic of this taxon. It is not mapped as it undoubtedly represents an introduction, possibly from hatchery activities at Cedar Bluff.
Range-wide this species is found from Manitoba south to northeast Texas, east through northwest South Carolina, and north to Labrador and southwest Newfoundland. A small spur is found along the east side of the Mississippi River into southeastern Louisiana. It appears to be absent from southeast Illinois and southwest Indiana.
(,   Museum Voucher) (,   Observation) (,   Literature Record) (,   iNat Record), (  Fossil)
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Full range depicted by light shaded red area. Export Google Earth (.kml)

• Occurrence Summary:  
• 2,311
  Records 
• 1,504
  Museum Vouchers 
• 807
  Other Observations 

Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
Allen (28); Anderson (15); Atchison (6); Bourbon (36); Brown (7); Butler (2); Chase (1); Chautauqua (92); Cherokee (544); Coffey (120); Cowley (12); Crawford (179); Doniphan (13); Douglas (311); Elk (35); Franklin (21); Graham (3); Greenwood (107); Jackson (1); Jefferson (18); Johnson (189); Labette (58); Leavenworth (49); Linn (43); Lyon (6); Marion (2); Miami (36); Montgomery (91); Morton (1); Nemaha (1); Neosho (42); Osage (72); Pottawatomie (1); Riley (3); Sedgwick (2); Shawnee (25); Trego (1); Unknown (13); Wabaunsee (20); Wilson (64); Woodson (10); Wyandotte (31);

Fossil History:
Miocene (Hemphillian NALMA) of Long Island, Kansas (Sanchiz, 1998) [Holman, 2003 states that this specimen likely represents an unidentified extinct taxon].

Natural History:
Fitch (1958) studied this toad in northeastern Kansas and gave the most complete information on its natural history. He reported that optimal habitat for this species is rocky situations in open woods or woodland edge, where the toads are found under large, flat rocks having loose, damp soil beneath them. They avoid open fields with dense vegetation and have a minimal home range of O. 16 acres. He noted that during periods of high humidity this species frequently wanders great distances. American Toads are active in late afternoon and at night, searching for food. During the day, they generally remain hidden. Clarke (1958) found this species active in Lyon County at air temperatures ranging from 58° to 85°F and considered its preferred habit to be Oak-Walnut hillside forests and open cultivated fields. Taggart (1992) found this toad active at night on 24 March in Allen County at an air temperature of 46°F. American Toads are active from March to October and bury themselves beneath the ground during the temperature extremes of winter and summer.
With the onset of spring rains, from March until early May, adult American Toads congregate at breeding sites, usually shallow upland streams or ponds, and begin to chorus. The male vigorously sings to attract a mate, and upon succeeding, mounts her back and clasps her body immediately behind the front legs with his front limbs, pressing his thumbs into her armpits. The two toads float in the pond, and the female lays eggs in a long, double string while the male releases sperm on them. A female may deposit from 2,800 to 20,500 eggs. The eggs quickly hatch and the tiny black tadpoles grow until they metamorphose into tiny toadlets that disperse from the pond within a week.
Fitch (1958), during six years of observations in northeastern Kansas, recorded choruses of this species from as early as 10 April until as late as 7 May, a time span somewhat later in spring than had been reported previously. He also determined that, in his study area, this toad has an optimal breeding air temperature of approximately 80-85°F. Other observations in Kansas indicate that this species will breed as early as mid-March, weather conditions permitting. Taggart (1992) found this toad chorusing at night on 2 April in Allen County at an air temperature of 52°F.
American Toads have a diet of beetles, crickets, leaf-hoppers, grasshoppers, spiders, and ants. This toad is undoubtedly beneficial to Kansas farmers due to the large quantity of insects it eats.
They are active at night during humid weather and remain hidden under rocks, logs, thatch, or shallow burrows during the day. During March and April rains, American Toads breed in semi-permanent ponds, ditches, and even tire ruts. The call is a long musical trill lasting 5 to 50 seconds. Eggs are laid in long strings. Outside of the breeding season, they can be found all over the eastern third of Kansas from forests to backyard gardens
They seek cover by day and search for prey at night. They can often be found congregating around lights in rural and residential areas to pick off insects as they land (Hartman 1906). He examined the contents of eleven toads from Wyandotte County and found they had consumed the following insects: Cincindelidae, ground-beetles, crickets, snapping-beetles, leaf-hoppers, ants, Belostoma, Lachnosterna, grasshoppers, tumblebugs, Lampyridae, and carrion beetles. One specimen contained sixty beetles, three leaf-hoppers, and three ants.

Occurrence Activity:
Number of Unique Obervations (=days): 220; Range: 23 Feb to 27 Nov

Chorusing:

Audio recording by Keith Coleman.

Chorusing Phenology: The black outlined dots denote the Julian date (day of the year; 1 January = 1 to 31 December = 365) an observation was made. The thin red line depicts the range of dates between the beginning of the first, and end of the fourth quartile (excluding outliers; Tukey method). The thick light blue bar represents the second and third quartile (interquartile range; the middle 50% of all observations). Only one observation per Julian date is included in the graphs; so a date with multiple observations carries the same weight as a date with only one observation. The vertical bars correspond to the 12 months of the year; January through December.
Number of Unique Obervations: 488; Range: 13 Mar to 07 Jul; Interquartile range: 10 Apr to 27 May;

Remarks:
First reported in Kansas by Hallowell (1857), however based on the description of the specimens on hand (two large individuals and several young [with red spots]) and that the specimens were sent by Fort Riley surgeon William H. Hammond, they are likely Woodhouse's Toads (Anaxyrus woodhousii). Cope (1880) also commented that ("Bufo lentiginosus Shaw., var. americanus Le Conte: Common Toad. Common at Manhattan and westward" and was likely confused with A. woodhousii. Yarrow (1882) listed two specimens from Kansas at the USNM (2533; "Little Blue River, Kan." by W. S. Wood) and (4543; "Fort Riley, Kans." by H. Brandt). Yarrow's list included specimens from Arizona, California, Nebraska, New Mexico, and Wyoming as well, those two from Kansas are likely A. woodhousii too. Neither of Yarrow's two listed specimens currently exist. The Cope (1889) treatment of the American Toad was identical to that of Yarrow (1882) with respect to Kansas material. Even in Hartman (1906) we cannot be sure the specimens he notes from Kansas City are A. americanus, because he also refers to A. americanus from Graham County (he did however, collect the earliest known specimen [see below]). Thus, the earliest published report of the American Toad in Kansas is by Burt and Burt (1929) and their reference to specimens observed near Cherryvale in Montgomery County. The earliest existing specimen (KU 6343) was collected by Frank A Hartman (a high-school teacher in Wichita) on 25 April 1904 (see also Moriarty and Collins [1995]).
Smith (1950) first pointed out the occurrence of the odd looking American Toads in Cherokee County. While not describing them as new, he noted that they possibly represented a unique form. With Smith's comments as an impetus, Bragg (1954) described the populations from eastern Oklahoma and SE Kansas as a distinct subspecies but noted that he could find no evidence of hybridization between this diminutive race and that of the nominate Bufo americanus. Collins (1982) mentioned the possible existence of this form in SE Kansas but declined to recognize it in the absence of more recent specimens. Collins did comment that should the form be found in Kansas, that it probably represented a distinct species. Masta et al. (2002) demonstrated that charlesmithi was a distinct clade and may merit specific recognition.
Where it occurs, this diminutive form is by no means rare. However, future studies are necessary to determine the limits of its distribution in Kansas.
Volpe (1955) showed that the American Toad and Woodhouse's Toad freely hybridize and produce viable offspring. This probably occurs where a combination of habitat disturbance and unfavorable temperatures force these two species to use the same breeding spot at the same time. Collins (1974b) observed these two toads and the Great Plains Toad breeding at the same time and place in Douglas County. Where hybridization occurs, identification of toads becomes difficult. Under optimal conditions, the American Toad breeds much earlier in the spring and at colder temperatures than Woodhouse's Toad.
Based on a captive specimen, Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a maximum longevity for this toad of four years, eight months, and 25 days.