The genus Cyornis was introduced by the English zoologist Edward Blyth in 1843. He listed three species in the genus but did not specify which he considered to be the type species.[2] The type was subsequently designated by George Gray in 1855 as Phoenicura rubeculoidesVigors, 1831, the blue-throated blue flycatcher.[3][4] The genus name combines the Ancient Greekkuanos meaning "dark-blue" with ornis meaning "bird".[5]
Seven of the above species, all with "jungle flycatcher" in their English names, were previously placed in the genus Rhinomyias but were moved to Cyornis based on the results of a 2010 molecular phylogenetic study.[9] There are also "jungle flycatchers" in the genus Vauriella.[6]
^Clement, P. "Blue-throated Blue-flycatcher (Cyornis rubeculoides)". In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Sargatal, J.; Christie, D.A.; de Juana, E. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive. Lynx Edicions. Retrieved 4 June 2016.(subscription required)
^Sangster, G.; Alström, P.; Forsmark, E.; Olsson, U. (2010). "Multi-locus phylogenetic analysis of Old World chats and flycatcher reveals extensive paraphyly at family, subfamily and genus level (Aves: Muscicapidae)". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 57 (1): 380–392. Bibcode:2010MolPE..57..380S. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.07.008. PMID20656044.