This ovenbird relative lives in rocky parts of the high Andes. A taxonomic study describes geographic changes in size and plumage. A diet study in southern Peru's queñua forests found insects, spiders, and scorpions in examined birds.
The study found geographic variation: southern validirostris birds were larger and more rufescent than the northern jelskii/pallida forms, with changes in plumage and bill, tail, and wing measurements.
In a southern Peru study, stomach samples from birds in queñua forest contained arthropods, including spiders, scorpions, and insects.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.