A high-Andean spinetail recorded from Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. It occurs in montane forest and dense understory, especially Chusquea bamboo.
The upperparts are mostly rufous, with a white eyebrow, lores, and chin; a thin black line borders the white chin. The rufous-brown tail has wispy feather tips.
It forages in dense understory, often in stands of Chusquea bamboo, and is usually difficult to see.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.