Seattle wildlife by kayak
Wood Ducks in Seattle: Paddle Beside North America’s Most Beautiful Duck
Brilliantly colored wood ducks are among Seattle’s most spectacular wildlife sightings. Quiet kayaking through Union Bay and Duck Bay offers your best chance to see them up close.
Seattle’s Most Colorful Waterfowl
Seattle’s inland waterways host many species of ducks, but none are more spectacular than the Wood Duck (Aix sponsa). Males are unmistakable, with iridescent green, blue, purple and chestnut plumage accented by crisp white facial stripes and brilliant red eyes. They are among the most colorful birds in North America and always turn heads when they glide quietly across the water.
Female Wood Ducks are far more understated. Their mottled brown and gray plumage provides excellent camouflage while nesting, helping conceal them from raccoons, crows, foxes, mink and other predators. This adaptation is especially important because Wood Ducks are one of the few North American ducks capable of raising two broods of ducklings in a single breeding season.
Built for Life Along the Shore
Measuring just 17 to 20 inches long and weighing only about a pound and a half, Wood Ducks may appear delicate, but they are remarkably hardy. They are perfectly adapted to wooded lakeshores and slow-moving streams where they feed on aquatic plants, seeds, insects and small crustaceans.
Unlike most ducks, Wood Ducks possess sharp claws that help them perch on branches and enter tree cavities where they nest. They are also swift fliers, capable of speeds approaching 30 miles per hour, helping them evade predators such as hawks, owls and bald eagles.
Why Kayaks Are the Best Way to See Wood Ducks
Wood Ducks are naturally cautious around people on shore, often slipping quietly away long before hikers notice them. A kayak, however, lets you move slowly and silently through their habitat with far less disturbance.
Paddle gently along the shorelines of Union Bay Natural Area or Duck Bay in the Washington Park Arboretum. Glide more than you paddle, keep conversations quiet, and you may find Wood Ducks swimming surprisingly close to your boat. Many of these birds remain in Seattle year-round and often return to the same nesting areas generation after generation.
Protecting Seattle’s Wetlands
Healthy wetlands and shoreline forests are essential for Wood Ducks and countless other wildlife species. Every quiet paddle through Seattle’s inland waterways is a reminder of how valuable these urban natural areas are—and why protecting them benefits wildlife and people alike.
See Wood Ducks from the Water
Launch from Agua Verde Paddle Club and quietly explore Union Bay, Duck Bay and the Washington Park Arboretum for one of Seattle’s finest wildlife experiences.