[3] The specific epithet commemorates Dutch explorer Anton Willem Nieuwenhuis.

The bird is endemic to the islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

Two subspecies are recognized:[3] It may be threatened by habitat loss but is only known from two specimens collected in 1900 and 1937, and few observations.

Five sightings of the blue-wattled bulbul were recorded in Batu Apoi Forest Reserve in 1992.