 The crested fireback is found in lowland forests of the Thai-Malay Peninsula, Borneo and Sumatra.There are four subspecies of the crested fireback, but in 2014 the subspecies "rufa" was split as a distinct species from the others.Males of the subspecies from Borneo and Bangka Island, "L. i. ignita" (lesser Bornean crested fireback) and "L. i. nobilis" (greater Bornean crested fireback), have brown central tail feathers, whitish legs and are rufous below.