Where do humpback whales live?

Quick Answer

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) live in every major ocean on Earth. They spend their summers feeding in cold, nutrient-rich polar and subpolar waters — including the Gulf of Maine, Alaska, Antarctica, and Norway — then migrate thousands of miles to warm tropical and subtropical waters to breed and give birth during winter. This annual migration of up to 5,000 miles each way is one of the longest of any mammal. NOAA recognizes 14 distinct population segments spread across the globe. Learn more on our Humpback Whale species page.

What You Need to Know

A Truly Global Range

Few large whale species rival the humpback’s geographic range. Humpback whales inhabit waters from the icy edges of the Arctic and Antarctic all the way to the warm shallows of the Caribbean, Hawaii, and the coasts of western Africa and eastern Australia. Their habitat preference shifts dramatically with the seasons, which is the key to understanding where they live at any given time of year.

Unlike some whale species that stay in relatively confined regions — such as the beluga whale, which favors Arctic and subarctic waters year-round — humpbacks are defined by movement. They are found in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, though populations from each hemisphere rarely mix because their seasons are opposite: when it’s summer in the north, it’s winter in the south, and vice versa.

Feeding Grounds: Cold, Productive Waters

During spring and summer, humpback whales congregate in high-latitude feeding areas where cold, upwelling currents support massive blooms of krill and dense schools of small fish like herring, capelin, and sand lance. Major feeding grounds include:

• North Atlantic: Gulf of Maine, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Iceland, Norway, and western Greenland
• North Pacific: Southeast Alaska, British Columbia, the Aleutian Islands, and the Russian Far East
• Southern Hemisphere: Waters surrounding Antarctica and near sub-Antarctic islands

These feeding grounds are where humpbacks spend the majority of their time eating, building up thick blubber reserves that will sustain them through the breeding season. To learn more about their diet, see what do humpback whales eat.

Breeding Grounds: Warm, Sheltered Waters

As autumn arrives, humpback whales begin their long journey toward the tropics. Breeding and calving take place in warm, shallow waters where newborn calves — which lack the thick blubber of adults — have the best chance of survival. Key breeding areas include:

• Hawaii (for North Pacific populations)
• The Caribbean, including the Silver Bank north of the Dominican Republic (for North Atlantic populations)
• The coasts of Colombia, Brazil, and western Africa (for South Atlantic populations)
• Madagascar, Mozambique, and western Australia (for Southern Hemisphere populations)
• Okinawa and the Ogasawara Islands off Japan (for western North Pacific populations)

During the breeding season, humpbacks eat little or nothing. Males are famous for producing complex, haunting whale songs that can last for hours — a behavior closely tied to mating. You can explore this further on our sounds and songs page.

The Great Migration

The journey between feeding and breeding grounds is one of the most impressive feats of endurance in the animal kingdom. Individual humpback whales have been tracked traveling over 5,000 miles (8,000 km) in a single direction, with some research suggesting certain individuals may cover even greater distances. A study published in Biology Letters documented a humpback whale traveling roughly 6,100 miles from breeding grounds in Brazil to those in Madagascar — the longest recorded migration of any mammal.

This migration means that the answer to “where do humpback whales live” depends entirely on the time of year. In July, you might spot a humpback bubble-net feeding off the coast of Alaska. By January, that same whale could be singing in the warm waters off Maui. Other long-distance migrators, such as the gray whale, follow similarly epic seasonal routes along continental coastlines.

Population Segments

NOAA Fisheries recognizes 14 distinct population segments (DPS) of humpback whales. These segments reflect the fact that different groups use specific migration corridors and show strong fidelity to particular feeding and breeding areas. While some populations — like those in Hawaii and much of Australia — have recovered well following the commercial whaling era, others remain at risk. Four of the 14 DPS are listed as endangered and one as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. For more on their conservation status, see are humpback whales endangered.

The global population is currently estimated at roughly 80,000–90,000 individuals, a remarkable recovery from a low of approximately 10,000 in the 1960s when commercial whaling was at its peak.

Key Takeaways

• Global distribution: Humpback whales are found in all major oceans, from polar waters to the tropics.
• Seasonal migration: They feed in cold, high-latitude waters during summer and breed in warm, low-latitude waters during winter, migrating up to 5,000 miles each way.
• Key feeding regions: Alaska, the Gulf of Maine, Norway, Iceland, and Antarctic waters.
• Key breeding regions: Hawaii, the Caribbean, western Africa, Madagascar, Australia, and the western Pacific near Japan.
• 14 distinct populations: NOAA recognizes 14 separate population segments, four of which remain endangered.
• Population recovery: Global numbers have rebounded to an estimated 80,000–90,000 individuals, though threats like ship strikes, entanglement, and climate change persist.
• Curious about other wide-ranging species? See how big is a humpback whale or explore how their size compares to the massive blue whale.