This finch inhabits Andean rocky ground and high-altitude grassland. Males are yellow and olive, while females and young birds are brown and streaked; it searches for seeds on the ground.
The wings and tail are brown with yellow edges. Males have an olive back, breast, and flanks, black lores and throat bordered in yellow, and a yellow eyebrow and belly. Females are brown with dark streaks; young birds resemble females but lack yellow.
Small flocks walk across rocky ground looking for seeds, and nests are placed in rock crevices. In northwestern Patagonia, the SIB account reports movement to lower elevations in winter.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.