Hermelin Upper Austria

The stoat (Mustela erminea) is one of the smallest native predators in the family Mustelidae. Males reach about 17 to 33 cm in body length with a 4 to 12 cm tail, while females remain noticeably smaller. The species is best known for its seasonal coat change: in summer the upper side is brown and the underside white, while in winter the coat turns largely white across much of the range. The black tail tip, however, is retained throughout the year and is the most reliable identification feature.

Stoats occupy a wide variety of habitats but avoid closed forests. They prefer structurally rich open and semi-open landscapes (Offen- und Halboffenlandschaften) with meadows, hedgerows, field copses, orchards, stone piles and waterside habitats. The decisive factor is not the habitat type itself but the presence of voles and field mice, which form the bulk of the diet. Rabbits, rats, birds and eggs are taken in addition. The stoat is active by day and night, lives solitarily and ranges over territories that can be very large.

It is distinguished from the smaller least weasel (Mauswiesel, Mustela nivalis) by its roughly double size, longer tail and above all the black tail tip, which the least weasel lacks; the seasonal change to a white winter coat is also far less pronounced in the least weasel. From the polecat (Iltis, Mustela putorius) it is separated by its much smaller size, slimmer and more elongated body, and the absence of the characteristic pale facial mask with dark eye stripe. The hunting and protection status of the stoat varies across the DACH region and differs between Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as between individual federal states and cantons; the respective current regional regulations are always authoritative.