The Blackish-headed Spinetail is about 14.5 cm long. It is recorded in humid and semi-deciduous forest in Tumbes at extreme northwestern Peru and also occurs in Ecuador.
The forehead and face are black, grading to gray over the rest of the head and underparts. The mantle is brown, the folded wing mostly rufous and the tail gray. Juveniles are paler, with fine dusky barring on the throat and breast.
It forages in the understory of semi-deciduous forest and is generally seen in pairs. In Tumbes, Peru, it is also recorded in humid forest.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.