The shoveler, of course, has a bill that is in a league of its
own. Shovelers primarily eat aquatic invertebrates, and their
extra-wide, flattened bill with well-developed lamellae helps
them skim crustaceans and other invertebrates from the water’s
surface. There are distinct differences in bills between blue-
and green-winged teal. During the nonbreeding period, blue-
winged teal consume seeds, aquatic insects, and some vegetation,
but green-winged teal primarily eat seeds, including a variety
of grains. As a result, the bill of the blue-winged teal
resembles a miniaturized shoveler bill, whereas the bill of the
green-winged teal might be compared to the shape of a small
pinky finger—the width of the bill is uniform throughout its
whole length. In contrast to mallards, two species of ducks
common to bottomland hardwood forests, wood ducks and hooded
mergansers, have bills that are quite specialized. The wood duck
eats acorns, seeds of moist-soil plants, some vegetation, and
aquatic insects. Its bill is short