How do lamellae in a duck’s bill help it find food?

In Anatidae, the bill features platelike structures known as lamellae, which are essential for feeding. These structures function as a sieve, allowing the duck to sift food particles out of mud or collect items from the lake bottom.1

The efficiency of this process depends on the refinement of the lamellae:
* General feeding: Typical ducks use their lamellae to filter food from water or mud.1
* Fine filtering: In species such as shovelers, the lamellae are extremely fine, which enables the bird to strain tiny particles, such as diatoms, directly from the surface film of the water.1
* Specialized hunting: In mergansers, these structures have evolved into toothlike projections that help the bird hold onto fish.1