{"id":7600,"date":"2026-05-19T14:42:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/?p=7600"},"modified":"2026-05-19T14:53:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T14:53:46","slug":"baleias-de-barbas-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/2026\/05\/19\/baleias-de-barbas-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring in the Azores: the season of the baleen whales"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spring marks a particularly important period for the presence of large cetaceans in the Azores. Every year, between March and May, several species of baleen whales cross the archipelago in the heart of the North Atlantic, integrating the waters of the Azores into their seasonal migratory routes. This frequent presence is associated with the connection between migratory patterns, food availability, and the strategic geographical position of the Azores in the Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baleen whales, belonging to the Mysticeti group, Mysticeti<\/em>, are characterized by the way they feed: instead of teeth, they have flexible structures called baleen plates that allow them to filter large volumes of water in search of krill, small crustaceans, and other marine organisms. This filtration is efficient in areas where biological productivity is high, allowing these animals to accumulate enough energy to sustain long journeys throughout the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Francisco Garcia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The migratory patterns of these whales connect reproductive areas, which are generally located in warmer waters and at lower latitudes, with highly productive feeding grounds at higher latitudes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the arrival of spring, the whales begin a predominantly south-to-north movement. In many cases, this migration is coordinated with the increase in phytoplankton production in the North Atlantic\u2014the \"spring bloom<\/em>\u2014which serves as the basis for the entire marine food chain and, consequently, sustains large concentrations of krill and other food resources along the migratory route. Often, when blue whales, fin whales, and sei whales (and sometimes also humpback whales and minke whales) pass through the Azores, they remain in the region for a few days to feed, taking advantage of the high abundance of plankton and krill characteristic of this time of year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Francisco Garcia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by Francisco Garcia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Scientific studies confirm this peak presence of these species in the archipelago occurs between April and May, coinciding with the advance of the \"spring bloom<\/em>\" in the North Atlantic. The relationship between whale migration and food availability has been described based on systematic observations and ocean productivity data: it has been observed that whales follow the northward expansion of spring productivity, using intermediate areas such as the waters of the Azores for temporary feeding before continuing their journey to summer feeding grounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to their geographical position, the oceanographic characteristics of the region contribute to the presence of these species. The islands are surrounded by deep waters very close to the coast, which creates favorable conditions for oceanic species. The dynamics of ocean currents and fronts encourage the mixing of waters and the enrichment of nutrients, especially in spring, when increased sunlight favors primary productivity. This increase in phytoplankton production sustains high levels of zooplankton and small fish, which are essential to marine food chains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The regular occurrence of baleen whales in certain regions is also considered an indicator of the health of the oceans. After centuries of intense commercial exploitation, many populations of large whales have suffered drastic reductions. Although some species show signs of recovery, they remain vulnerable to various pressures, such as climate change, maritime traffic, and pollution. The presence of these whales in the Azores during the spring reflects the importance of the region as a relevant area for the conservation of large cetaceans in the North Atlantic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Francisco Garcia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The passage of baleen whales through the Azores<\/a> in the spring is thus the result of a combination of their migratory movements from south to north, the seasonal availability of food, and the oceanographic characteristics of the region. This combination makes the archipelago a key point in the migratory routes of the North Atlantic and reinforces its scientific, ecological, and conservation value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Understanding these processes is essential to appreciate the presence of these species and promote the protection of the marine ecosystems on which they depend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would you like to see whales and dolphins in the Azores? Book your experience with us here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blog article written by the biologist Soraia Portela.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

References:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Romagosa, M., Baumgartner, M., Casc\u00e3o, I., Lammers, M. O., Marques, T. A., Santos, R. S., & Silva, M. A. (2020). Baleen whale acoustic presence and behaviour at a Mid-Atlantic migratory habitat, the Azores Archipelago. Scientific Reports<\/em>, 10<\/em>(1), 4766. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1038\/s41598-020-61849-8<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visser, F., Hartman, K., Pierce, G., Valavanis, V., & Huisman, J. (2011). Timing of migratory baleen whales at the Azores in relation to the North Atlantic spring bloom. Marine Ecology Progress Series<\/em>, 440<\/em>, 267\u2013279. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3354\/meps09349<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Laura, G., Miranda, V. D. L., Clara, S., & M, T. P. J. (2014). Looking for North Atlantic Baleen Whales: When are they coming to the Azores? Frontiers in Marine Science<\/em>, 1<\/em>. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/conf.fmars.2014.02.00088<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Spring marks a particularly important period for the presence of large cetaceans in the Azores. Every year, between March and May, several species of baleen whales cross the archipelago in the heart of the North Atlantic, integrating the waters of the Azores into their seasonal migratory routes. Read More<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7611,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[51,31,25,39,34,35],"class_list":["post-7600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sem-categoria","tag-acores","tag-avistamentos","tag-mar","tag-natureza","tag-whale-watching","tag-whale-watching-azores"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7600"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7619,"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7600\/revisions\/7619"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7611"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/picosdeaventura.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}