The Shrike-like Cotinga is distributed in south-east Brazil with disjunct populations in the foothills of the Andes from western Venezuela, in Colombia, in Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. The Andean races are sometimes considered a seperate species but they are vocally similar to the Brazilian population with only minor plumage differences.

It has traditionally been included in the Cotinga family but is now felt to be more closely related to the Schiffornis mourners or some of the Tyrant-flycatchers.

The female is more extensively barred than the male and has a less solidly black cap.