The rufous whistler was originally described in the genus Sylvia by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 .
The rufous whistler was originally subsequently classified within the genera Turdus , Laniarius and Lanius before being classified in its present genus Pachycephala .
The rufous whistler was originally described in the genus Sylvia by the English ornithologist John Latham in 1801 , and subsequently classified within the genera Turdus , Laniarius and Lanius before being classified in its present genus Pachycephala .