Drone footage captures first aerial recording of humpback whale birth

Drone pilot Alexander Forrest has captured what is believed to be the first-ever aerial footage of a humpback whale giving birth. While filming the annual whale migration off the coast of New South Wales, Forrest recorded a mother whale surfacing to deliver a light gray calf.

Following the initial discovery, Forrest collaborated with the Organisation for the Rescue and Research of Cetaceans in Australia (ORRCA) to document the mother’s care for the newborn and the calf’s initial dives. This event marks only the fourth time a humpback whale birth has been fully documented, and the first time it has been recorded from the air.

The footage will undergo scientific analysis and is expected to form the basis of a peer-reviewed scientific note, providing new insights into the reproduction and early life behavior of humpback whales.