Pine marten

About

The Pine marten is a small, agile predator that spends most of its life in trees. In the Carpathians, it inhabits mixed, fir-beech, and spruce forests up to the upper tree line and is found in all Carpathian countries.

The body of the marten is long and flexible, the tail is bushy, and the fur is chestnut-brown. The best distinguishing feature is a yellowish or cream spot on the throat, which has a rounded lower edge. The similar stone marten stays closer to human settlements and has a white spot that splits on the chest.

The marten hunts at night and during twilight for rodents, squirrels, and birds, and in summer and autumn, it eagerly eats berries, fruits, and honey from wild bees. During the day, it rests in tree hollows, old nests of large birds, or among rocks. Mating occurs in summer, but the development of embryos is delayed, so the young are born only the following spring.

Seeing a marten during the day in the forest is rare; you are more likely to notice tracks in the snow that go from tree to tree in paired footprints.

The Pine marten is a game species, not listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine; in the EU, it is included in Annex V of the Habitats Directive.

Where in the Carpathians

The map shows where naturalists recorded the species (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY records), not every place it lives. The Ukrainian Carpathians are less studied, so a blank area does not mean the species is absent.

Countries

Ukraine · Czechia · Slovakia · Hungary · Serbia

Mountain ranges

Maramureș Mountains, Hryniava Mountains, Skole Beskids, Pokuttia-Bukovina Carpathians, Chornohora, Slovak Central Mountains, Slovak Ore Mountains

Altitude belts

Foothills (below 600 m) · Beech forests (600–1200 m) · Conifer forests (1200–1600 m)

When to see it

From naturalists’ observations in the Carpathians (iNaturalist, research grade): the darker the cell, the more often the species is seen that month.

Protection and rules

Not listed in the Red Data Book of Ukraine.

Red Data Book of Ukraine

FAQ