Megaptera novaeangliae

SIZE: Male 11-15 m, Female 12-16 m

SEASON – Highest probability of sightings: mid-February to April, July to September

The humpback whale is one of the most popular species to encounter on a whale watching tour, and for good reason. Humpbacks are particularly well known for their spectacular surface activity, including breaching, pec-slapping, spy-hopping, lob-tailing and tail throws.

Humpback whales come to Iceland to feed. They are baleen whales, also known as filter feeders, using the plates in their mouths to filter small fish and plankton from the water. In Icelandic waters, they feed on species such as krill, herring, mackerel, sand eels and capelin.

During the winter, many humpback whales migrate to warmer waters to mate and give birth. They feed very little while in their breeding grounds, relying largely on the energy reserves built up during the feeding season. Females invest a great deal of energy in raising their calves before returning north to their feeding grounds.

Humpback whales are also famous for their complex social behaviour and culture. Males produce long, intricate songs, particularly on their breeding grounds. All the males in a population tend to sing a similar song, which gradually changes over time as whales learn and copy elements from one another. We still do not fully understand why humpbacks sing, although their songs appear to play an important role in their social lives. Males may also compete with one another for access to females.

Their feeding behaviour is equally fascinating. Humpbacks are known for their sophisticated feeding techniques, including bubble-net feeding, where they blow bubbles around a school of fish to concentrate their prey before feeding. This behaviour is not commonly observed in Iceland, but the sightings appear to be increasing. You can see one of our tours where we were lucky enough to record this behaviour here.

At Láki Tours, we see humpback whales mostly during the summer and into early autumn. In recent years, however, we have also encountered them during the spring months, showing how their seasonal presence can vary from year to year.