Distribution:
Occurs throughout much of the eastern third of Kansas, primarily east of the Flint Hills. A specimen from Trego County (FHSM 5857) has been examined and exhibits diagnostic features of this species; however, it is not mapped due to its presumed introduction—likely associated with hatchery operations at Cedar Bluff Reservoir.
Range-wide, this species extends from Manitoba south to northeastern Texas, eastward through northwestern South Carolina, and north to Labrador and southwestern Newfoundland. An isolated extension follows the east side of the Mississippi River into southeastern Louisiana. It is notably absent from southeastern Illinois and southwestern 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:  
• 2,634
  Records 
• 1,827
  Museum Vouchers 
• 807
  Other Observations 

Some county occurrences indicated below may be too imprecise to map above.
County Breakdown: County Name (# occurrences):
Allen (30); Anderson (29); Atchison (8); Bourbon (43); Brown (10); Butler (3); Chase (1); Chautauqua (101); Cherokee (559); Coffey (121); Cowley (13); Crawford (206); Doniphan (15); Douglas (351); Elk (46); Franklin (29); Graham (6); Greenwood (116); Jackson (1); Jefferson (20); Johnson (281); Labette (61); Leavenworth (65); Linn (47); Lyon (6); Marion (2); Miami (51); Montgomery (99); Morton (1); Nemaha (1); Neosho (42); Osage (76); Ottawa (1); Pawnee (1); Pottawatomie (2); Riley (4); Sedgwick (1); Shawnee (37); Trego (1); Unknown (13); Wabaunsee (20); Wilson (64); Woodson (11); Wyandotte (39);

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) conducted the most comprehensive study of Anaxyrus americanus in northeastern Kansas, identifying optimal habitat as rocky areas in open woodlands or woodland edges. Individuals were commonly found beneath large, flat rocks underlain by loose, moist soil. They tend to avoid open fields with dense vegetation and exhibit a minimal home range of approximately 0.16 acres. Fitch also observed long-distance movements during periods of high humidity. The species is primarily nocturnal, foraging in the late afternoon and at night, and remaining concealed during daylight hours.
Clarke (1958) reported activity in Lyon County at air temperatures between 58–85°F, primarily in oak-walnut hillsides and cultivated fields. Taggart (1992) recorded nocturnal activity on 24 March in Allen County at 46°F. A. americanus is active from March to October, burrowing underground during extreme winter and summer conditions. Breeding occurs from March to early May, following spring rains. Adults gather at ephemeral or semi-permanent aquatic sites, such as upland streams, ponds, ditches, or tire ruts. Males produce long, musical trills (5–50 seconds) to attract females, and amplexus is initiated with the male clasping the female behind the forelimbs. Females deposit 2,800–20,500 eggs in long double strings as males simultaneously fertilize them. Tadpoles hatch rapidly and metamorphose into juvenile toads within a week of dispersal.
In northeastern Kansas, Fitch (1958) recorded chorusing between 10 April and 7 May, with peak breeding activity at air temperatures of 80–85°F. However, other records show breeding can begin by mid-March, depending on the weather. Taggart (1992) noted chorusing at 52°F on 2 April in Allen County.
Diet consists primarily of beetles, crickets, leafhoppers, grasshoppers, spiders, and ants. Hartman (1906) analyzed stomach contents from 11 specimens in Wyandotte County and found ground beetles, tiger beetles (Cicindelidae), snapping beetles, fireflies (Lampyridae), carrion beetles, ants, crickets, grasshoppers, leafhoppers, giant water bugs (Belostoma), and Lachnosterna spp. One specimen contained 60 beetles, 3 leafhoppers, and 3 ants.
Outside the breeding season, American Toads inhabit a wide range of habitats in eastern Kansas, from forests to suburban gardens. They are commonly encountered around artificial light sources at night, feeding opportunistically on insects attracted to the light. During the day, they shelter under rocks, logs, vegetation, or in shallow burrows.

Occurrence Activity:
Number of Unique Obervations (=days): 229; 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:
The first purported report of the American Toad (Anaxyrus americanus) in Kansas was by Hallowell (1857), based on specimens received from Fort Riley surgeon William H. Hammond. However, the described material—two large adults and several juveniles with red spots—likely represents Anaxyrus woodhousii. Cope (1880) similarly listed Bufo lentiginosus var. americanus as “common at Manhattan and westward,” a distribution consistent with A. woodhousii. Yarrow (1882) reported two Kansas specimens housed at USNM: USNM 2533 (“Little Blue River, Kan.”, coll. W.S. Wood) and USNM 4543 (“Fort Riley, Kans.”, coll. H. Brandt). Both are also likely A. woodhousii; neither specimen is extant. Cope (1889) reiterated Yarrow’s account without revision. Hartman (1906) mentioned A. americanus from Kansas City and Graham County, but the latter is questionable, and his references likely conflate the two species.
The first verifiable published account of A. americanus in Kansas is from Burt and Burt (1929), who reported individuals near Cherryvale, Montgomery County. The earliest existing specimen (KU 6343) was collected by F.A. Hartman on 25 April 1904 (see Moriarty and Collins 1995).
Smith (1950) first noted morphologically distinctive A. americanus in Cherokee County and suggested they may represent a unique form. Bragg (1954), prompted by Smith’s observations, described populations in southeastern Kansas and eastern Oklahoma as a new subspecies, noting their small size and lack of evidence for hybridization with the nominate form. Collins (1982) acknowledged the possible presence of this form in Kansas but declined to recognize it without additional data, though he suggested it may represent a distinct species. Masta et al. (2002) later demonstrated that charlesmithi constitutes a distinct clade, potentially warranting specific status. Where it occurs in Kansas, this form is not rare, but its distribution remains poorly defined.
Hybridization between A. americanus and A. woodhousii has been documented (Volpe 1955), especially under conditions of habitat disturbance or overlapping breeding phenology. Collins (1974b) observed A. americanus, A. woodhousii, and A. cognatus breeding simultaneously in Douglas County. Hybrids may complicate identification, though A. americanus typically breeds earlier in the season and at lower temperatures.
Snider and Bowler (1992) reported a captive longevity record of four years, eight months, and 25 days for this species.