The Creamy-crested Spinetail occurs in the inter-Andean valleys of central and southern Peru, where it is recorded in scrub and riparian forest.
Its upperparts are olive-brown, with rufous shoulders and tail. The bushy crown is buff, the bill pinkish, and the throat whitish.
In the Upper Urubamba Valley, it was recorded in alder thickets by streams and on scrubby slopes; observers also saw birds probe moss on boulders. The field account notes that they were heard more often than seen.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.