The Rufous-eared Brush-Finch is endemic to Peru. It forages in Andean scrub and Polylepis forest; its rufous head and black-and-white facial markings are distinctive.
The upperparts are dusky gray and the underparts are lighter gray, with a whitish center to the belly. The head is rufous, with black on the lores and around the eye, a black malar stripe, and white spots on the forehead.
It forages in Andean scrub and Polylepis forest. The account lists montane scrub, riparian forest, and Polylepis woodland around the upper Marañón Valley as its habitat.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.