It is found on New Guinea and neighbouring islands.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.

It is also one of the few known poisonous birds, it carries the toxic compound homobatrachotoxins in its feathers and skin.

This species was split from the northern variable pitohui in 2013.

[2] Five subspecies are recognized:[3] This Pachycephalidae-related article is a stub.