This tapaculo occurs in the highlands of Peru's Cuzco region. Adults are gray with rufous on the flanks and rump, but voice and range are especially useful for separating it from similar species.
Adults are mouse-gray, with a variable amount of rufous on the flanks, rump, and vent. Females have more rufous, while juveniles are brown with dark barring throughout.
It forages on or near the ground in humid montane forest, humid montane scrub, and Polylepis woodland. Because similar species occur in dim habitats, its calls and range help with identification.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.