Hombron and Jacquinot first encountered these birds when they stopped off in Australia as part the French expedition to Antarctica of 1837–1840, traveling aboard the Astrolabe. While Hombron initially placed the bird in the genus Erythura, he indicated that the short legs of the bird could necessitate a new genus, Neochimia.
Hombron and Jacquinot first met these birds during their Australian stopover as part of the 1837-1840 French Antarctic expedition on board the Astrolabe. Initially, Hombron placed them in Erythura, but indicated that the bird's short legs might require a new genus, Neochimia.