Two described subspecies: nominate Malaconotus m. monteiri (Shape, 1870) described from Angola, and M. m. perspicillatus (Reichenow, 1894) known from only a single specimen in Cameroon.

It is found in Angola and Cameroon, with a historical record from the Albertine Rift of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and a lost specimen from Kakamega Forest, Kenya.

Cameroonian birds are described as the subspecies Malaconotus monteiri perspicillatus based on a single specimen from Mt.

[2] There are scattered sightings of reported individuals in other mountain ranges in western Cameroon (namely, Mt.

[2] It is probably threatened by habitat loss like other birds in its range, but its actual status remains unknown due to its elusiveness.