A small finch of the Andean-Patagonian forest region, it has a black head and throat in males and olive coloring in females.
The back is mottled olive, and the black wings have yellow bars. The breast and flanks are yellow, with a white belly. Males have a black crown and throat; these are olive in females.
It eats seeds and leaves, and also insects in winter. In the northwestern Patagonian account it is resident year-round, descends to valleys in winter, and can form large flocks.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.