This spinetail has a rufous face and long stepped tail; in Costa Rica it occurs in humid forest at middle elevations.
Adults have bright rufous foreheads, crowns, and cheeks. The long, pointed tail is stepped, and the underside and wings are olive-brown; the bill is slender and pointed.
It is usually solitary or in pairs and regularly joins mixed-species flocks.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.