Martin Irestedt and colleagues examined the white-eared catbird species complex genetically and found there were three distinct lineages: the white-eared catbird (Ailuroedus buccoides) proper of the Bird's Head (Vogelkop) Peninsula, the ochre-breasted catbird (Ailuroedus stonii) of the southern lowlands of New Guinea, and tan-capped catbird (Ailuroedus geislerorum) of the northern lowlands of New Guinea.[2] In 2016, the ochre-breasted catbird and the tan-capped catbird were split from the white-eared catbird as separate species.
