This warbler is endemic to Colombia's Santa Marta Mountains. It uses middle and upper levels of cloud forest and sometimes joins mixed-species flocks.
It has a mostly black head, yellow crown and underparts, and a buffy stripe between the eye and bill. White outer tail feathers are often flared while it feeds.
It uses middle and upper levels of cloud forest and often joins mixed-species flocks. The account also mentions sightings along higher roads in El Dorado Nature Reserve.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.