The genus Lyncornis was introduced in 1838 by the English ornithologist John Gouldwith Lyncornis cerviniceps Gould 1838 as the type species.[1] This taxon is now treated as a subspecies of the great eared nightjar.[2] The genus name combines the Ancient Greek lunx, lunkos meaning "lynx" with ornis meaning "bird.[3]
These two species were formerly placed in the genus Eurostopodus. They were moved to the resurrected genus Lyncornis based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2010 that found large genetic differences between the great eared nightjar and the other species in Eurostopodus.[4][5]