It spends the austral summer in northwestern Patagonia and is reported in Peru from March to October. Adults have an ochre patch on the back of the head; Peruvian records are at 3,800–4,900 m.
Adults have a grey-brown back and pale grey underparts, with white on the forehead and face. The wing coverts and flight feathers have pale edges, and a distinct ochre patch marks the nape. Juveniles lack this patch and have ochre-edged wing feathers.
In Peru it forages on short grass or bare ground among scattered low shrubs, often near water. Peruvian records are at 3,800–4,900 m, and the account expects the species there from March to October.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.