Despite that this species occurs in much drier landscapes than Hyla arborea, in Cyprus it normally inhabit places close to aquatic habitats such as streams, ponds, dams and lakes (Lymberakis et al. 2015). It is also present in gardens, bush lands, montane forest edges, open oak and juniper forests, and areas with permanent or semi permanent water sources (including oasis) with good surrounding vegetation (e.g. Phragmites, Oleander). The species is able to adapt to light habitat modification, and may be found in rural, agricultural (including paddy fields) or semi-urban, areas where suitable wetland habitat exists. Spawning and larval development takes place in small stagnant waterbodies, drainage canals and slow flowing brooks with dense herbaceous and shrub vegetation. In Cyprus, mating starts at the beginning of spring. Adult males can be heard calling until mid June also during day time. Eggs can be found into April. Spawning and development of the larvae take place in still or slow moving water. The metamorphosed frogs (SVL about 18 mm) can be found in May (Baier et al. 2009).

Within the European region, this species is restricted to Cyprus, where it is widespread throughout the island. It occurs at elevations from sea level to 1,600 m asl (www.herpatlas.cy).

Most of the range of this species is out of the European region. It occurs from extreme northwestern Sinai (Egypt), through Israel, Lebanon, Syria and southern and eastern Türkiye to the western part of Iran, Iraq, and Armenia, southern Georgia and Azerbaijan (Gvoždík et al. 2010; Dufresnes et al. 2019). It is present from on elevation from the sea level to above 2,100 m asl (Iran) (B. Safaei-Mahroo pers. comm. 2020).

Conservation Actions In-Place
Hyla savignyi is protected by national law 153/2003 for the protection of environment; it is included in annex IV of Directive 92/43 (Lymberakis et al. 2015).

Research Needed
Population biology, threats, and trends.