pine marten

American  

noun

1. a marten, Martes martes, of Europe and western Asia.

2. Also called American marten.  a marten, Martes americana, inhabiting forests of the U.S. and Canada.

---

pine marten British  

noun

1. a marten, Martes martes, of N European and Asian coniferous woods, having dark brown fur with a creamy-yellow patch on the throat See also sweet marten

---

Etymology

Origin of pine marten

First recorded in 1760–70

Example Sentences

"Trees in plantations tend to be quite young, and so don't have the cavities that pine marten like to rest and breed in," he said.

From BBC • Feb. 4, 2024

"The pine marten is a good example of how a species can recover if people stop killing them, you provide more habitat and you direct conservation efforts," said Lizzie Croose of the Vincent Wildlife Trust.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2023

While ours are the only ski tracks, they cross a multitude of wolf, bison, snowshoe hare, coyote, ermine and pine marten tracks.

From Washington Post • Feb. 25, 2022

The Croatian kuna is named after the pine marten, whose pelts were once a valuable trading commodity.

From Reuters • Feb. 7, 2022

The Russian sable is the finest of the martens, the pine marten of Labrador being next in value.

From Science of Trapping Describes the Fur Bearing Animals, Their Nature, Habits And Distribution, With Practical Methods For Their Capture by Kreps, Elmer Harry