This brushfinch lives in humid montane forest on the western Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. Yellow underparts, a black-sided face, and a tawny crown stripe are useful clues.
The upperparts are olive to dark, with yellow underparts. The face sides are black and the crown has a tawny stripe.
It forages along forest edges and in brush at openings. It may move alone or in pairs; mixed-flock records are also reported.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.