This finch is reported as common in dry, open scrub in the highlands of Eritrea and Ethiopia. A 2020 expedition also recorded 12 birds in Djibouti and described their plumage.
The 12 specimens obtained in Djibouti in 2020 had a white throat, greyer underparts and no pale superciliary stripe.
Near Dittilou in Djibouti, the birds fed on small seeds. Very young and immature birds led the authors to suggest that a second brood might have been underway that year.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.