This finch is known from the eastern Andean slope in Peru's Cuzco region. It forages in humid montane scrub and dwarf forest, sometimes in bamboo.
It is about 18 cm long, with dusky grey plumage, a rufous crown and a paler grey center to the belly.
It uses humid Andean scrub and dwarf forest, sometimes foraging in bamboo stands. The account gives an elevational range of about 2,400–3,000 m.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.