Southern Bolivia (southern Santa Cruz, eastern Chuquisaca and eastern Tarija) and western Paraguay south to central Argentina (Salta and Formosa south to eastern San Juan, northern San Luis and western Córdoba).
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Black-crested Finch (Lophospingus pusillus) [XC47726]
by Claudio Bertonatti from Alrededores San Jose de Las Salinas, Cordoba, Argentina (alarm call)
Black-crested Finch (Lophospingus pusillus) [XC609502]
by Bernabe Lopez-Lanus from Chamical, Chamical, La Rioja, Argentina (song)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Molecular data indicate that genus may be sister to White-banded Tanager (Neothraupis fasciata), and that these in turn are part of a clade which includes also Common Diuca-Finch (Diuca diuca), Paroaria cardinals, Magpie Tanager (Cissopis leverianus) and Schistochlamys tanagers. This would suggest that all should be included in the tanager family (Thraupidae).