This brushfinch is endemic to Mexico. It lives in the understory of pine-oak forest and searches the ground for insects and seeds.
The crown is rufous, the sides of the face dark charcoal, and the nape and head gray. It has a broad yellow throat, dull olive-green upperparts, and yellowish underparts.
It forages on the ground in pairs or small groups in the understory of pine-oak woods, from humid to semiarid areas. It eats insects and seeds; the account gives an elevation range of 900–3,500 m.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.