This tanager inhabits mountain forests in western Mexico. Males have a red head and throat; females lack the red areas.
Males are olive above and yellow-olive below, with a red head and throat. Females lack the red head and throat.
It uses montane forest and edges at about 900–2,600 m. It feeds on insects and small fruit and is seen in pairs, small flocks, or mixed flocks.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.