The name is from the Ancient Greek κακομαντις (kakomantis) meaning "prophet of evil".

Most species have a round nostril and are mainly in brown and gray colours.

[2] The genus Cacomantis was introduced in 1843 by the German naturalist Salomon Müller.

[4][5] The genus name is from the Ancient Greek kakomantis meaning "prophet of doom".

[6] 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.