They are little studied and before being established as a family in 2014 their taxonomic relationships with other birds were uncertain, being considered at one time related variously to the pittas, Old World babblers and birds-of-paradise.

Based on their superficial resemblance to the suboscine pittas (plump bodies, short tails and long legs), Hermann Schlegel placed the lesser melampitta within that family when he described that species in 1871.

[5] More recent studies have refuted the relationship with the whipbirds and jewel-babblers,[6] and instead consistently shown a relationship as the sister taxa to a group of families including the drongos, fantails, monarch flycatchers, Corcoracidae (the white-winged chough and apostlebird of Australia) and the birds of paradise again.

Although the name was created to invoke the Greek mega for large and Melampitta for the genus, the authors of the paper stated that it was a random collection of letters.

[3] The greater melampitta is restricted to areas of rugged limestone karst with sinkholes that it apparently roosts and even nests in.

[12] Both species have a discontinuous distribution across New Guinea, and the greater melampitta is generally a rare bird that is seldom encountered, although this may because it lives in rarely-visited areas.

The greater melampitta has specially strengthened remiges and retriges, which are often worn, a possible adaptation to its habit of roosting in limestone sinkholes.

Those sinkholes are too deep and narrow to fly directly out and the tail may be used to help cling to the side of the hole as it exits, in the fashion of a woodpecker.

Hooded pitohuis are unusual for birds in having a toxin, homobatrachotoxin, in their feathers and skin which can cause convulsions and death if consumed.

The call of the greater melampitta is a double or triple note, which is slurred and repeated monotonously,[8] and is reminiscent of the black pitohui.

[12] The call of the lesser melampitta are either harsh buzzy notes or chirped whistles, both of which are repeated at intervals.

[8] The greater melampitta is reported to be very shy and wary, but also inquisitive and may approach people sitting quietly to investigate.

All that is known of the breeding of the greater melampitta are reports from local people that it creates nests that are baskets of vines suspended in the limestone sinkholes that it roosts in.