This small seedeater ranges along the Pacific slope from southern Colombia to northern Chile. In Chile it uses dry valleys and farmland, mainly below 1,000 m.
The breeding male is mainly gray with a white belly and a conspicuous chestnut throat patch. The female is brown with a streaked chest and a paler bill.
It may perch in pairs or small groups on trees or wires and builds a low cup nest from grasses and roots. It mainly eats seeds, along with fruits and insect larvae.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.