The Grey-necked Friarbird is endemic to Seram Island, Indonesia. Two plumage forms have been reported, one with a grey head and throat and another with dark markings; records extend from the coast into mountain forest.
On Seram, one form has dark markings on the head and throat, while another lacks black there and has grey feathers like the crown. The latter otherwise resembles the first; the study found no difference in their measurements or the mitochondrial gene it examined.
A 2012 survey commonly recorded it from coastal lowlands into mountain forest, with calling birds also found at higher sites. These are Seram survey records, not the species' full elevational limits.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.