A small tanager that moves through the canopy and forest edges. In Costa Rica it occurs in Caribbean lowlands, including along streams.
Adults are slate gray above and paler below, with a faint buff wash on the belly. The wings and tail are dark, and a violet-blue shoulder patch is usually concealed.
It moves through canopy along forest edges, near streams, in tall secondary growth, and among trees left in pasture. It can form groups of three to six and sometimes joins other small birds.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.