Azara's Spinetail moves through scrub in Andean montane forest, at forest edges, and in second growth. Peruvian records in the account are from 1,250–3,100 m.
The mantle is brown, while the crown, folded wing, and tail are rufous. The throat is pale and may show black; the forehead and underparts are gray, with a paler center to the belly.
It forages in the understory of humid montane forest, at forest edges, and in scrubby second growth. The Peru account describes it moving among dense shrubs.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.