The Highland Elaenia inhabits mountain forest and forest edges on the eastern Andes. It has dark olive-brown upperparts and yellowish underparts, and searches the canopy for insects and berries.
The head and upperparts are dark olive-brown and the underparts yellowish. The throat is pale yellow, the breast and flanks are grayish olive, and the usually visible double wingbar is pale.
It feeds in the canopy, gleaning insects from foliage or catching them in flight, and also eats berries from trees and shrubs. The account describes brief hovering while taking food.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.