The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the British banker and amateur ornithologist John Henry Gurney (1819-1890).

[2] The species was moved to the resurrected genus Hydrornis based on the results of a molecular phylogenetic study published in 2006.

[2][5] The male has a blue crown and black-and-yellow underparts; the rest of the head is black, and it has warm brown upperparts.

[9] A study conducted in 2016, led by scientist Nay Myo Shwe, visited 142 sites the pitta has been previously observed in Myanmar; it was only in 41 that any trace of the bird was found.

[10] It was estimated that more than 80% of the bird's habitat was lost from 1999-2017, due to palm oil plantations; the IUCN subsequently re-assessed the species status as critically endangered.