This saltator ranges from southern Ecuador to northwestern Peru. It occurs in humid montane forest, forest edges, and scrub.
Its head and upper chest are black, while the back, wings, and tail are bluish gray. Some birds have white feathers behind the eye or on the chin.
It inhabits humid montane forest, edges, and scrub. It is often seen foraging in trees in pairs and may join mixed-species flocks.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.