Martes martes
Silhouette: Anthony Caravaggi · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
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 |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Marten sighting in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, based on 37 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 19 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and July–November
In those months about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Marten in Cairngorms National Park on a given day, against under 5% in December to February, 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.
Yes
Of the 5 parks where we can rate Pine Marten sightings, Cairngorms National Park has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Biebrza National Park (Poland, about 20%) and Białowieża National Park (Poland, about 20%).
Same family: Mustelidae
The closest relatives of the Pine Marten that you can see in Cairngorms National Park (family Mustelidae, Mustelids) are European Badger (about 30%) and Eurasian Otter (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pine Marten is recorded against all the mammals logged in Cairngorms National Park (37 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.
