Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni Anderson, 1879

This guide follows the Society for Marine Mammalogy treatment of Bryde's whale as Balaenoptera edeni, including B. e. brydei and B. e. edeni. Some Madeira research uses Balaenoptera brydei. The global assessment cited here covers B. edeni; it is not an assessment of Madeira whales alone. Taxonomy source.

A Bryde’s whale’s long back and small dorsal fin break the surface below a built-up hillside. — Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni · Photograph by Wind Birds

Sightings in Madeira

Our September 2026 trip report lists this species. This is an operator observation, not a population estimate.

Warmer months favoured; the timing varies between years. Madeira habitat research. Modelled habitat suitability describes environmental conditions, not the probability of seeing an animal on a trip.

ID characteristics

Long, slender, greyish body with paler underside
Three parallel rostrum-ridges on head, the central one broader than the side ones
Broad flukes with paler undersides though variable
Dorsal fin falcated and normally erected though variable

A whale surfaces beneath a flock of seabirds, with the mountains near Machico in the background. — Seabird and whale watching off Machico · Photograph by Wind Birds

Surface behaviour

Sometimes inquisitive, approaching boats or swimming alongside them
When diving it strongly arches its tailstock though flukes are never seen

Distribution

Worldwide between parallels 40º North and 40º South
In tropical, subtropical and some warm temperate waters

1 or 2 individuals together

Diet

Fish, krill and other crustaceans

Biometrics

Max length: 15.6m
Adult weight: 12-20 ton

Blow

Vertical, narrow, 3 to 4 meters tall. normally 4 to 7 blows before diving

A Bryde’s whale surfaces beneath flying seabirds, showing its smooth back and dorsal fin. — Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni · Photograph by Wind Birds

Common names in other languages

Portuguese: Baleia-de-Bryde, Baleia tropical
German: Brydewal
French: Baleinoptère de Bryde, Rorqual de Bryde, Rorqual d'Eden, Rorqual tropical
Spanish: Ballena de Bryde, Rorcual tropical
Italian: Balenottera di Eden
Dutch: Brydevinvis, Brydes vinvis, Brydewalvis
Polish: Płetwal Bryde’a
Swedish: Brydes fenval
Danish: Brydeshval
Norwegian: Brydehval, Sardinhval

Other English names

Tropical whale

Names vary by language and region. This list is not exhaustive. Multilingual name records.

A Bryde’s whale arches its back and dorsal fin above the water, with coastal cliffs behind it. — Bryde's whale Balaenoptera edeni · Photograph by Wind Birds

Review sources

Conservation, taxonomy, local occurrence and seasonality checked on 28 September 2026. The assessment publication year is separate from this editorial review date. Identification, size, other biology notes and multilingual aliases are outside this review unless a specific source is cited alongside them.

IUCN Red List: Balaenoptera edeni — global species assessment, published 2018.
Society for Marine Mammalogy: species and subspecies list (April 2026) — Scientific names, authorities, families and English names. Mysticeti and Odontoceti are treated as unranked groups.
IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group: Red List status of cetaceans — Global species categories cross-checked against the specialist group's overview, updated October 2025. Regional and subpopulation assessments are separate.
IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group: July 2018 assessments — Publication and category of the global Bryde's whale assessment.
Freitas et al. (2012): New records of cetacean species for Madeira Archipelago with an updated checklist — Table 1 and species accounts distinguish sightings, catches and strandings. Record totals and last-record dates describe evidence available through December 2012.
Fernandez et al. (2021): Modeling fine-scale cetacean distributions in Madeira — Models based on observations from 2003–2018. Seasonal habitat suitability is not a forecast of sightings or proof that animals are absent in other months.

The linked trip reports document operator observations. They do not independently confirm every identification or measure population size, abundance or the probability of a sighting.