Bird about 17–18 cm long, mainly lead-gray, with the forehead, throat, sides of the neck, and undertail coverts of an orange-rufous color. It shows a reddish crescent below the eye and a fine supercilium of the same tone. The wings and tail are dark gray. The female is similar, although with less rufous extension on the throat. Juveniles are brownish-gray, with streaks on the back and belly.
Geographical distribution: Endemic to northwestern Argentina. It ranges from southern Bolivia through the provinces of Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, and Catamarca to the north of La Rioja. It is especially characteristic of the Sierras de Aconquija and the Calchaquí Valleys and Ranges in Tucumán, where it inhabits humid grasslands, shrubby ravines, and fragmented Polylepis forests.
Habitat: Inhabits mountain ranges between 2,800 and 3,400 m a.s.l., in humid high-altitude grasslands dominated by Festuca hieronymus and dense shrublands of Iochroma australe, Baccharis sp., Satureja parvifolia, and other typical species of the upper montane belt, between the alder (Alnus) forest line and queñua (Polylepis) forests. It is found on steep slopes with dense vegetation and rocks, where it is locally common.
Feeding: Feeds mainly on seeds and small arthropods, which it searches for on the ground, among grasses or low shrubs. During the breeding season, it is usually seen in pairs, while in winter it joins mixed foraging flocks.
Behavior: Generally moves by walking or hopping among rocks, shrubs, and mid-level branches. It maintains an upright posture and appears confident yet calm. Its song is a series of short whistles of variable tone, and it has a sharp contact call (“sip”), sometimes producing a faster “tip-tip... tip... tip-tip” when alarmed.
Nesting: Nests among shrubs and rocks, on steep slopes with dense, tangled vegetation. Nests recorded in Tucumán were hidden, about 1 m above the ground, usually in Baccharis sp. shrubs. They were compact cup-shaped, built with dry grasses, leaves, and Festuca hieronymus inflorescences, and lined with fine horsehair; the exterior was bulkier and somewhat untidy, with small twigs. The recorded clutch had three chicks. The species may breed between January and March.
Conservation status: Although it can be locally common in suitable sites, its populations are small and vulnerable to habitat fragmentation and degradation. It is categorized in Argentina as Insufficiently Known (IC) and internationally as Near Threatened (NT), due to its limited geographical range and the pressure on the montane forests and high Andean grasslands it occupies.