This species was first formally described in 1897 by English ornithologist Osbert Salvin, based on a sample collected by Antwerp Edgar Pratt in Antioquia Department.

[2] The species name is derived from the Latin capito - big-headed, and the Ancient Greek hupo - beneath, and leukos - white.

[7] The white-mantled barbet is found in the Middle Magdalena Valley of Colombia at altitudes between 200 and 1,800 m (660 and 5,910 ft).

[7] These barbets typically forage in pairs or family groups, and may follow mixed-species feeding flocks.

The primary causes of this habitat loss are illicit cultivation, overuse of insecticides, and small-scale gold mining.