The blue-faced honeyeater is generally held to be the only member of the genus, although its plumage suggests an affinity with honeyeaters of the genus "Melithreptus". It has been classified in that genus by Glen Storr, although others felt it more closely related to wattlebirds ("Anthochaera") or miners ("Manorina"). A 2004 molecular study has resolved that it is closely related to "Melithreptus" after all. Molecular clock estimates indicate that the blue-faced honeyeater diverged from the "Melithreptus" honeyeaters somewhere between 12.8 and 6.4 million years ago, in the Miocene epoch. It differs from them in its much larger size, brighter plumage, more gregarious nature, and larger patch of bare facial skin.