The Black Butcherbird is distributed in north and north-eastern Australia and in Papua New Guinea and some islands. See the distribution map at Birdlife International. It is found in mangroves and rainforest where it feeds on insects and small vertebrates.

It is an all-black butcherbird with a large silver-blue bill with a black, hooked tip. The race in north-eastern Queensland is M. q. rufescens and this is distinguished from the other sub-species in that the immatures have both a black and a rufous morph. The rufous morph is shown in photo 3.

The specific name is derived from the French naturalist Jean René Constant Quoy who collected in this area in the early 19th century.