The tyrant flycatcher family, Tyrannidae, is a group of passerine birds present only in the Americas;

its members are generally drab in coloration.[3] Within it, the subfamily Fluvicolinae comprises
the genera Pyrocephalus, Contopus, Empidonax, and Sayornis. They likely share a common
ancestor that belonged in the genus Contopus or Xenotriccus and later diversified.
The Pyrocephalus are most closely related to Sayornis in terms of morphology, but genetic analysis
shows they may be more closely related to Fluvicola.[2]
The first description of the vermilion flycatcher was in 1839 by John Gould, who created the current
genus Pyrocephalus, and designated his find as Pyrocephalus obscurus. The identification was
based on specimens brought back by Charles Darwin on the second voyage of HMS Beagle, which
lasted from 1831 to 1836.[4][5] The species was then designated as Pyrocephalus rubinus by the
English zoologist George Robert Gray in 1840, based on Darwin's specimen taken from James
Island.[6][7] A 2016 molecular study changed the taxonomy of the species, splitting off several new
species and re-designated the original bird as Pyrocephalus obscurus.[8] Before the study it was
considered a monotypic genus, but now taxonomists (including the International Ornithologists'
Union) have elevated three of the vermilion flycatcher subspecies to the rank of species:
the Darwin's, San Cristóbal, and scarlet flycatchers.[9]
The genus name Pyrocephalus is Greek and roughly translates to "fire head"[10] or "flame headed".
[11]:326
 The specific epithet obscurus is Latin and means "dark" or "dusky".[11]:278 The common name
comes from its vibrant coloration and its membership in the flycatcher family, which is reflected in
its insect-rich diet.[2]