A regional account from northwestern Patagonia describes it as a ground-dwelling bird of rocky high-Andean areas. It has gray-brown upperparts with rufous marks and a dark tail band. Records note that it descends to lower open country during winter snowstorms.
The head and back are gray-brown, with a buff eyebrow and ochre underparts. The wing and tail bases and flanks are rufous, and the tail has a black band.
The account places it on the ground in rocky high-Andean areas and says it nests in tunnels in rock faces or among stones. During winter snowstorms it moves down to open grassland and ecotone areas.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.