FAQs

What is a pine marten?

Pine martens are a member of the mustelid family, which includes badgers, otters, stoats, weasels and polecats. The pine marten is the size of a small domestic cat, with rich brown fur, a creamy-yellow chest ‘bib’, prominent rounded ears and a long bushy tail.

Are pine martens native to Britain?

Yes, they are a native species that was on the verge of extinction due to extensive hunting and habitat loss, but numbers are now in some areas, slowly recovering.

What do pine martens eat?

Pine martens have an extremely varied diet, with the most significant component comprising small mammals such as field and bank voles. They will also eat birds and their eggs, invertebrates including beetles and wasps’ nests and large quantities of berries in the autumn. They will consume what is local and seasonally abundant. Crucially, pine martens are a native predator. Therefore, native forest species like red squirrels will have evolved alongside pine martens and should have some inherent fear of pine martens, reducing their chance of predation. Scientific studies have shown that the presence of apex predators in an ecosystem helps to keep stable and healthy prey populations.

Are pine martens going to eat red squirrels and grey squirrels?

Evidence from Ireland and Scotland suggests that where there are high numbers of pine martens, grey squirrel numbers are lower or decreasing, whilst red squirrels numbers are increasing. This trend is seen within as little as 15 years of pine martens recolonising an area. There is evidence from diet analysis that pine martens do eat grey squirrels. Pine martens will occasionally predate red squirrels, however red squirrels are small and agile and hard to catch. Grey squirrels are an invasive, non-native species that have caused a dramatic decline in red squirrels numbers nationally. In addition to their abundance, grey squirrels are larger and spend more time on the ground, so are likely to be an easier prey item for pine martens. Grey squirrels also cause an exceptional amount of damage to trees through bark-stripping which is detrimental to tree growth. The Red Squirrel Survival Trust states that there are 2.7 million greys and 140,000 reds in Britain. Therefore, having a natural predator back in the ecosystem to help reduce grey squirrels, will not only pave the way for red squirrels in the South East of England, but reduce economic impacts of tree damage.