The North Melanesian Cuckoo-shrike occurs in forested parts of the northern Solomon Islands and around Bougainville. A specialist species profile describes it as sedentary, associated with forest and dense cover, and feeding on invertebrates. Plumage details below are restricted to the nominate subspecies, C. w. welchmani.
Males of the nominate subspecies have gray upperparts and glossy black on the forehead, around the eye, cheek and throat; in some birds the black reaches the upper breast.
The specialist species profile lists it as sedentary, associated with forest and dense cover, and feeding on invertebrates.
The nominate female lacks the male’s black forehead and throat; the historical description retains black around the ear region.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.