This sparrow inhabits dry forest and gallery forest in central Brazil. It often forages as a pair in the lower vegetation and on the ground.
It is about 15 cm long. The upper bill is yellow with a black tip, the sides are pale grey, and the black chin and broken black breast band help identify it.
It uses the understory of dry and gallery forests and forages on the ground, usually in pairs. The source distinguishes its habitat and range from those of a similar relative.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.