The painted manakin was described by the American ornithologist Daniel Lane and colleagues in 2017 and given the binomial name Machaeropterus eckelberryi.

The specific epithet was chosen to commemorate the American bird artist Donald R. Eckelberry (1921-2000).

[1] The species is placed in the genus Machaeropterus that was introduced by the French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte in 1854.

[2] The painted manakin was described as a new species based solely on the differences in vocalization.

[1] The painted manakin has been recognised as a valid species by the South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society and by Frank Gill and David Donsker who maintain a list of bird species on behalf of the International Ornithological Committee.