Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador (B), French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela.
Three geographically separated populations. eastern Colombia eastern locally to southern Venezuela, the Guianas and northern Brazil (northern Roraima and northern Amapá); north-eastern Peru (western Loreto south of R Marañón south to San Martín and northern R Ucayali); Brazil mostly south of R Amazon (locally on northern bank) between R Madeira and R Tapajós, south to north-western Mato Grosso and, perhaps discontinuously, to Bolivia (eastern Beni).
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Red-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus phoenicius) [XC11602]
by Guy Kirwan from piton de l'Armontabo, French Guiana (dawn song)
Red-shouldered Tanager (Tachyphonus phoenicius) [XC401522]
by Mauricio Cu\u00e9llar Ram\u00edrez from Amajari, Roraima, Brazil (song)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Recent molecular-genetic data indicate that Ruby-crowned Tanager (Tachyphonus coronatus) and White-lined Tanager (Tachyphonus rufus) are sister-species, and that present species is sister to both of them.