Eastern Ecuador (R Napo), north-eastern Peru (R Amazon, lower R Ucayali), south-western Amazonian Brazil (R Amazon eastern locally to R Negro, also R Juruá, R Purus, upper R Madeira) and extreme north-eastern Bolivia (lower R Beni in Pando).
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Parker's Spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpecula) [XC258152]
by Paul Coopmans from Orellana: river island at A\u00f1angu, Ecuador (call)
Parker's Spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpecula) [XC221751]
by Niels Krabbe from La Selva lodge, Napo, Ecuador (song)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
Cranioleuca vulpina (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been split into Rusty-backed Spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpina) and Parker's Spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpecula) following SACC (2005). Coiba Spinetail (Cranioleuca dissita) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) has been lumped with Rusty-backed Spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpina) following AOU (1998) and SACC (2005).
Almost certainly the sister-species to Rusty-backed Spinetail (Cranioleuca vulpina) and formerly considered conspecific, but they are locally syntopic and widely sympatric, and field experiments strongly suggest reproductive isolation created by differences in songs. Relationships of the two to congeners uncertain and they differ vocally from all others.