A finch of open high mountains that feeds on seeds. The head can look darker in breeding plumage and paler outside the breeding season.
Its plumage is gray to dark, with a pointed bill. The head is darker in breeding plumage and paler outside the breeding season.
It lives in open high-elevation places such as rocky meadows and areas around glacial moraines, feeding on alpine plant seeds.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.