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European badgers are the most social of badgers; they form groups of 6 adults on average, though larger associations of up to 23 individuals have been recorded. Under optimal conditions, badger territories can be as small as 30 ha (74 acres), but may be as large as 150 ha (370 acres) in marginal areas.
Throughout most of Europe, including here in Britain, the badger is primarily a species of “unimproved” grasslands (i.e., that without intensive livestock grazing, ploughing, reseeding, or application of herbicides and artificial fertiliser) and broadleaf/deciduous or mixed woodland.
Habitat. Eurasian badgers are highly adaptable and live in a wide variety of environments. Ideal habitat includes deciduous, conifer, or mixed woodlands adjacent to open fields. In addition, they may occupy hedges, scrub, and riverine habitats as well as agricultural land, grassland, steppes, and semi-deserts.
The European badger is nocturnal and lives in woodlands and shrublands across Europe and Asia. It’s incredibly powerfully-built and stereotypically black, white and grey in appearance . They grow up to around 90cm in length, and can weigh up to 17kg.
The approximate distribution of the European badger (Meles meles) in Europe. Map based primarily on Michell-Jones et al. (1999) and IUCN data, modified according to Abramov et al. (2013) and Kinoshita et al. (2017).
Position yourself near an active sett entrance with a solid object behind you, so you are not silhouetted, or watch them feeding in your garden. Learn everything you need to know about badger social structure, behaviour, identification and breeding in our expert guide to European badgers.
The European badger (Meles meles) is a badger species in the family Mustelidae native to almost all of Europe. It is classified as least concern on the IUCN Red List as it has a wide range and a large stable population size, and is thought to be increasing in some regions.
