The White-winged Tanager is distributed in highlands of Central America and of northern Venezuela and the tepuis then south in the Andes from Colombia to Bolivia. See the distribution map at NatureServe. It is found in forest and woodland between 700 and 2,000 metres.

Both sexes have bold white wing-bars. The male is scarlet with black lores, wings and tail while in the female the scarlet is replaced by olive above and yellow below.