The golden-naped tanager is a species of bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is found in South America from Colombia to Bolivia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and heavily degraded former forest.

The tanagers comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotropical birds.