Pine Marten

Pine Marten

Martes martes

Silhouette: Anthony Caravaggi · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability <5% · Rare
at Helsinki

In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%

8 Verified sightings at Helsinki
69 In all 5 parks From 2019 to 2026
April Best month
🌅 Crepuscular When it's spotted

About the Pine Marten

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 →

Sounds

Recording0:42

Italy · 2025

© Gabriele Vaudano · XC972458 · CC BY 4.0

Call1:12

Finland · 2025

© Eetu Paljakka · XC1046186 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Call0:33

France · 2020

© Olivier SWIFT · XC992309 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Cairngorms National Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
~30%
2 Biebrza National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
3 Białowieża National Park 🇵🇱 Poland
~20%
4 Bavarian Forest National Park 🇩🇪 Germany
~10%
5 Pyrénées National Park 🇫🇷 France
~10%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Helsinki 🇫🇮 Finland
<5%
2 Moscow 🇷🇺 Russia
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Korkeasaari Zoo 🇫🇮 Finland In captivity
2 Cumberland Wildpark Grünau 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
3 Wildpark Gangelt 🇩🇪 Germany In captivity
4 Yaroslavl Zoo 🇷🇺 Russia In captivity
5 Minsk Zoo 🇧🇾 Belarus In captivity
6 Welsh Mountain Zoo 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
7 New Forest Wildlife Park 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
8 Aran Park 🇪🇸 Spain In captivity
9 British Wildlife Centre 🇬🇧 United Kingdom In captivity
10 AQUA Akvarium & Dyrepark 🇩🇰 Denmark In captivity
11 La Ferme du Paradis 🇫🇷 France In captivity
12 Alpenzoo Innsbruck 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
13 Cumberland Wildpark 🇦🇹 Austria In captivity
14 Дэльфінарый 🇧🇾 Belarus In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Pine Marten in Helsinki?

Rare

Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Marten sighting in Helsinki on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 20th most-seen of the 23 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Pine Marten in Helsinki?

March–April and August–September

In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Marten in Helsinki on a given day, against under 5% in May–July and October–February, the lowest months.

What time of day is best to see a Pine Marten?

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.

Is Helsinki the best place to see a Pine Marten?

Yes

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Pine Marten sightings, Helsinki has the highest daily chance: under 5%. Next come Moscow (Russia, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Pine Marten live in Helsinki?

Same family: Mustelidae

The closest relatives of the Pine Marten that you can see in Helsinki (family Mustelidae, Mustelids) are Stoat (about 10%), Eurasian Otter (about 10%) and Least Weasel (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Pine Marten sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Pine Marten is recorded against all the mammals logged in Helsinki (8 verified sightings), 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.

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