Black-headed Honeyeater is endemic to Tasmania and the Bass Strait Islands. It is found in dry eucalypt forest and woodland as well as coastal heaths and gardens.

It has a black head and throat with a small white crescent above the eye. Upperparts are olive-green while below is white with black marks on each side of the breast. It has no pale band on the nape unlike some similar species such as Strong-billed Honeyeater M. validirostris.