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Northern (Crested) Shrike-tits are bushland birds with a dimorphic plumage, i.e. males and females are slightly different. Both sexes have a have a prominent black eye stripe, chin and forehead, with a black longitudinal stripe along the crest, while the rest of the head, including small patches on the frons, is plain-white. The front, from the chest to the undertail coverts, is bright-yellow. The mantle is greyish-yellow; wings and tail are grey, with broad yellow edge-lining. The only difference between males and females is is that the former have a black bib, while the latter have an olive-grey bib (and a shorter crest). The eyes of both sexes have brown irises. The short, heavy bill is dark-grey. Legs and feet are also dark-grey. Juveniles have a more brownish back and a pale throat patch.

The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org .

The global distribution of the Northern (Crested) Shrike-tit is available HERE .

Northern (Crested) Shrike-tits are endemic to the northern part of Australia. They are only found in the tropical far North, from the eastern part of the Kimberley in WA, through the Top End of the NT, to the southern edge of the Gulf of Carpentaria, as far eastward as the NT/QLD border.

Northern Shrike-tits have a preference for woodland.

Calls of a Northern Shrike-tit were serendipitously recorded in dry sclerophyll woodland at Pine Creek, NT, in August 2014.

M. Eaton reports finding Northern Shrike-tits in the township of Katherine, NT, in July 2020.

P. Brown spotted Northern Shrike-tits at the Flora River CR, Victoria Highway, NT, in March 2021.