A taxonomic group of perching birds characterized by a particular arrangement of palatal bones in the skull.
From Greek aigithalos (bird) combined with gnathos (jaw), referring to the distinctive jaw structure of this bird group. This is a modern scientific classification term created in the 19th century.
Ornithologists once classified all birds based on tiny differences in their skulls—specifically how the bones of the roof of the mouth connected. This group, the Aegithognathae, is basically birds with a specific 'skull pattern' that scientists thought showed evolutionary relationships.
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