It is found in humid Andean forests, woodland and scrub from southern Colombia to Bolivia The spectacled whitestart was described in 1844 as Setophaga melanocephala, from a type specimen collected in Maraynioc, Peru.

M. melanocephalus and M. ornatus were previously considered the same species, and in the areas where the two come into contact in the southern Colombian Andes,[3][4] intermediate phenotypes have been observed.

The species has prominent yellow "spectacles" on the face formed by a ring around the eye and a stripe running under the lores, which give the bird its name.

M. m. griseonuchus also has more extensive black on its face, to a similar extent as M. m. malaris, but also has a tiny patch of rufous brown on its crown.

M. m. ruficoronatus has a larger rufous patch, but is otherwise similar to M. m. melanocephalus in the rest of its coloration.