The White-capped Tanager is distributed in the Andes from the extreme west of Venezuela through Colombia and Ecuador to Peru. See the distribution map at Birdlife International. It is found in humid and wet montane forest at between 1,600 and 3,200 metres.

It very large for a tanager and behaves and sounds more like a jay. The male has a bright red throat and chest while the female has a dull maroon throat and chest. It is more often heard than seen.