Introduction Amphibians are one of the most highly threatened groups of animals (Stuart et al. 2004). Currently, almost one-third of amphibian species are listed as globally threatened and almost half are known to be experiencing population declines, making amphibians more highly threatened and declining faster than either birds or mammals (Stuart et al. 2004). Perhaps more than any other vertebrate group, the effective conservation of amphibians is hampered by a lack of basic ecological information. To date, our knowledge of amphibian movement and habitat use has been derived predominantly from studies on salamanders and on pond-breeding frogs in temperate regions. However, declines have been most frequent and severe in tropical, stream-breeding species (Williams and Hero 1998; Lips et al. 2003; Stuart et al. 2004). While tem- perate, pond-breeding species typically aestivate or hibernate in terrestrial areas away from their breeding sites, and migrate to breeding ponds during their breeding period (Dole and Durant 1974), the movements of tropical stream-breeding amphibians are likely to differ, with reproduction occurring within their otherwise non-breeding home range (Duellman and Trueb 1986). The movement patterns and habitat use of species are also important in identifying those species at most risk of extinction in human-modified landscapes (Hanski and Zhang 1993; Travis and Dytham 1999) or under future climate scenarios. They are also capable of influencing disease dynamics (Grutter 1998; Krasnov et al. 1998; Altizer et al. 2000; Ezenwa 2004; Brooks et al. 2006). We examined the movement patterns and habitat use of three stream-breeding frogs in northern Queensland, Australia. These species co-occur but have declined to varying degrees in recent decades: the waterfall frog (Litoria nannotis) has experienced large and long-lasting population declines (IUCN Endangered); the green-eyed treefrog (Litoria genimaculata) has declined and then recovered (IUCN Least Concern, although Australian populations of this species are considered to be Near Threatened); and the stoney creek frog (Litoria lesueuri) has not experienced population declines (IUCN Least Concern, see also below) (McDonald and Alford 1999; McDonald 2002; McDonald et al. 2005; IUCN Conservation International and NatureServe 2006). Population declines in these species, and in other species around the world, have been attributed to the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis (Berger et al. 1998). The limited information we have on the ecology and behaviour of these species is derived primarily from nocturnal stream surveys (e.g. Hodgkison and Hero 2002; Richards and Alford 2005). There is presently very little information on the diurnal habits, movement, and use of off-stream habitat of these species owing to their use of complex, densely vegetated habi- tats and their cryptic appearance and behaviour. In addition, there is almost no information on how these or any other species of amphibians use three-dimensional space. In this study, we tracked frogs of each species and examined differences in move- ment and habitat use among species, sexes and seasons. We con- sider the implications of our findings in terms of extinction vulnerability. Wildlife Research, 2007, 34, 371–378 10.1071/WR07014 1035-3712/07/050371 © CSIRO 2007 Jodi J. L. Rowley A,B and Ross A. Alford A A School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Qld 4811, Australia. B Corresponding author. Present address: Conservation International Indo-Burma, PO Box 1356, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Email: Jodi.Rowley@gmail.com Abstract. Amphibians are one of the most highly threatened groups of animals, but their effective conservation is ham- pered by a paucity of basic ecological knowledge, particularly for tropical stream-breeding species, in which declines have been most common and severe. We examined the movement patterns and habitat use of three stream-breeding frog species at five sites in northern Queensland, Australia. Movement and habitat use differed significantly among species. Litoria lesueuri moved more frequently and greater distances than did our other study species, and was often located away from streams, moving between intact rainforest and highly disturbed environments. Litoria genimaculata moved less frequently and shorter distances and was more restricted to stream environments compared with L. lesueuri, but was often located in the canopy. L. genimaculata occasionally moved large distances along and between streams, but was never located outside of intact rainforest. Litoria nannotis moved almost as frequently as the other species, but remained in streams during the day, did not move large distances along or between streams, and was always located within intact rainforest. Because of its sedentary behaviour, narrow habitat tolerance and affinity for stream environments, L. nannotis may be more vulnera- ble to extinction in human-modified landscapes compared with L. lesueuri and L. genimaculata. Movement patterns and habitat use of rainforest stream frogs in northern Queensland, Australia: implications for extinction vulnerability www.publish.csiro.au/journals/wr CSIRO PUBLISHING