The genus
Cacomantis was introduced in 1843 by the German naturalist
Salomon Müller. He did not specify a
type species; this was subsequently designated as
Cuculus flavus Gmelin, a
junior synonym of
Cuculus merulinus Scopoli (the
plaintive cuckoo). The genus name is from the
Ancient Greek kakomantis meaning "prophet of doom". Müller explained that local people on the
Maluku Islands thought of these species as "birds of misfortune" due to their mournful calls and their frequent presence in cemeteries. The
pallid cuckoo (
Heteroscenes pallidus) and the
white-crowned cuckoo (
Caliechthrus leucolophus) were formerly placed in this genus. They are now each placed in their own
monotypic genus. ==References==