The genus Coccyzus was introduced in 1816 by the French ornithologist Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot to accommodate a single species, Comte de Buffon's "Coucou de la Caroline", now the yellow-billed cuckoo.
The introduction of the genus Coccyzus in 1816 by Louis Jean Pierre Vieillot, aimed to categorize Comte de Buffon's "Coucou de la Caroline" (now known as the yellow-billed cuckoo) into a distinct taxonomic group.