He gave it the name Bufo woodhousii in honor of the American physician and naturalist Samuel Washington Woodhouse.

In the United States it is found in Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

In the western part of its range it is typically found in lowland riparian corridors, wooded land besides streams and rivers.

Near human habitations these toads may congregate underneath outside lights to feed on the insects they attract.

The males call from in, or close to, standing water and the eggs are laid in gelatinous strings in still-water habitats such as ditches, ponds, pools, cattle tanks and lakes.

The population seems steady and no particular threats have been identified so the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed it as being of "least concern".