The black-faced monarch was originally described as
Muscicapa melanopsis by
Louis Pierre Vieillot in 1818 from a specimen collected in
New South Wales. The species is now placed in the genus
Monarcha that was introduced by the naturalists
Nicholas Vigors and
Thomas Horsfield in 1827. English naturalist
William Swainson described it in 1823 as
Muscipeta carinata, or "keel-billed flycatcher", unaware of Vieillot's earlier description. Australian amateur ornithologist
Gregory Mathews described a paler specimen from Cape York as a distinct subspecies
pallidus, though this was not recognised subsequently. Alternate names include the "black-faced flycatcher", "carinated flycatcher", "grey-winged monarch" (particularly in New Guinea to distinguish from
black-winged monarch), "grey-winged monarch flycatcher" and "pearly-winged monarch". == Description ==