Martes martes
Silhouette: Anthony Caravaggi · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~50%
The European pine marten (Martes martes), also known as the pine marten, is a mustelid native to and widespread in most of Europe, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, and parts of Iran, Iraq, and Syria. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
It is less commonly known as baum marten or sweet marten. The European pine marten's fur is usually light to dark brown. It is short and coarse in the summer, growing longer and silkier during the winter. It has a cream- to yellow-coloured "bib" marking on its throat. Its body is up to 53 cm (21 in) long, with a bushy tail of about 25 cm (9.8 in). It weighs around 1.5–1.7 kg (3.3–3.7 lb); males are slightly larger than females. It has excellent senses of sight, smell, and hearing.
The European pine marten was for many years common only in northwestern Scotland. A study in 2012 found that it has spread from the Scottish Highlands north into Sutherland and Caithness and southeastwards from the Great Glen into Moray, Aberdeenshire, Perthshire, Tayside, and Stirlingshire, with some in the Central Belt, on the Kintyre and Cowal peninsulas, and on the islands of Skye and Mull... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cairngorms National Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 2 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 3 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 4 | Bavarian Forest National Park | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Korkeasaari Zoo | 🇫🇮 Finland | |
| 2 | Cumberland Wildpark Grünau | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 3 | Wildpark Gangelt | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Yaroslavl Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 5 | Minsk Zoo | 🇧🇾 Belarus | |
| 6 | Welsh Mountain Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 7 | New Forest Wildlife Park | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 8 | Aran Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | British Wildlife Centre | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 10 | AQUA Akvarium & Dyrepark | 🇩🇰 Denmark | |
| 11 | La Ferme du Paradis | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 12 | Alpenzoo Innsbruck | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 13 | Cumberland Wildpark | 🇦🇹 Austria | |
| 14 | Дэльфінарый | 🇧🇾 Belarus |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Marten sighting in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 11th most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Marten in Bavarian Forest National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January–February, June–July, September and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pine Marten sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
4th of 5
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Pine Marten sightings, Bavarian Forest National Park ranks 4th at about 10%. The best odds are in Cairngorms National Park (United Kingdom, about 30%), Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 20%) and Białowieża National Park (Poland, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pine Marten is recorded against all the mammals logged in Bavarian Forest National Park (7 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
