The blue-backed manakin is absent in the northwest Amazon Basin, a region from central Venezuela to the southern border of Colombia.

The race endemic to Tobago, C. p. atlantica is larger and has more extensive red on the crown and blue on the back.

It has been suggested that it represents a separate species, the Tobago manakin, but no major authorities recognize this today.

This species is similar to lance-tailed manakin, Chiroxiphia lanceolata, which breeds further north from northern Venezuela to Costa Rica, but the latter has elongated central tail feathers, and the male has a somewhat brighter blue back.

Apart from the buzzing display song, blue-backed manakin has a number of other calls, including a whee-whee-CHUP, sometimes given by two male in synchrony.