This small tyrant flycatcher occurs in Andean foothills from southwestern Colombia into Ecuador. Literature describes semi-open woodland, river edges, and clearings as habitat; a northeastern Ecuador study recorded nests in saplings beside rivers.
A half-grown nestling observed during a northeastern Ecuador nest study had dull olive upperparts and pale wing bars tinged yellow. The lower throat and upper breast were dull olive; the breast became yellow, fading to whitish flanks and belly.
In northeastern Ecuador, researchers reported open cup nests made from pale fibers and fine rootlets, placed in saplings on flat, rocky river floodplains. Their study described seven active nests, ten eggs, and one mid-aged nestling.
In northeastern Ecuador, researchers found open cup nests in saplings along rivers, where the nests resembled plant debris left by floods. The paper's literature review describes semi-open foothill woodland, river edges, and clearings. A separate species account places the bird in grassland, open woodland, or open bushes and reports foraging in the middle to upper levels of bushes.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.