The
beech marten (
Martes foina), also known as the
stone marten or
white breasted marten, is a species of
marten native to much of
Europe and
Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in
North America. It is listed as
Least Concern by the
IUCN on account of its wide distribution, its large population, and its presence in a number of protected areas. It is superficially similar to the
pine marten, but differs from it by its smaller size and habitat preferences. While the pine marten is a forest specialist, the beech marten is a more generalist and adaptable species, occurring in a number of open and forest habitats.