It is the extinct nominate subspecies of the long-tailed triller which was endemic to Norfolk Island, an Australian territory in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.

The Norfolk triller was similar to other subspecies of the long-tailed triller, though it was slightly larger and had a richer buff wash on the underparts and rump and a broader white tip to the outer rectrices.

Nests were shallow and cup-shaped, made of lichen, moss and fibrous roots, and lined with finer material.

The cause of its extinction was probably predation by black rats combined with clearance of its habitat, Norfolk Island's native subtropical rainforest.

[1] There are specimens of this bird held in the museums at Leiden, Vienna, Tring and in the H. L. White Collection at Melbourne.