Description: A 14–15 cm bunting-like bird with a long white supercilium, white throat, and a cinnamon–reddish breast band that continues onto the flanks, contrasting with the white belly and undertail. Cheeks and crown are gray-brown, back olive-brown, and wings grayish edged with rufous. Tail dark with white tips on the outer rectrices, visible in flight. Sexes alike. Juveniles duller with slight streaking on the underparts. Differs from the Gray-breasted Brushfinch (Poospizopsis hypocondria) mainly because that species lacks the cinnamon breast, has a uniformly gray breast, and a grayish rather than white belly.

Geographic distribution: Endemic to the Bolivian Andes in shrubby ravines between 1,600 and 3,400 m. In Argentina it occurs only in a small area in the extreme north of Salta, around Santa Victoria Oeste, within the Inter-Andean Valleys. This population was discovered only in 1992 and remains extremely localized, likely composed of few individuals.

Habitat: High-elevation shrubby ravines, dry scrub, open woodlands with Polylepis (queñoa), dense shrubs, large cacti, riparian hedgerows and slopes with low cover. In Argentina it uses Inter-Andean Valley habitats with rocky banks, dry shrubs and vegetation between 2,200 and 3,300 m.

Behavior: Secretive and hard to detect, usually staying hidden among shrubs. Typically found in pairs or family groups, moving stealthily through low shrubs with short, discreet flights. Forages in shrubs and on the ground nearby. Often vocal from mid-height shrubs. Song a simple, melodic, repetitive phrase of 2–3 notes, plus a sharp call.

Diet: Feeds mainly on small seeds, tender shoots and arthropods gleaned in dense shrubs or on the ground among stones and leaf litter. Forages alone, in pairs, or sometimes with other buntings/brushfinches.

Breeding: Presumed to build a cup nest in dense shrubs, typical for the genus.

Conservation status: Not globally threatened (LC). In Argentina it was listed as Threatened in 2008 but classified as Occasional in the latest assessment due to few records and lack of population data. The Argentine population is nevertheless stable, extremely localized, and probably more widespread than currently known because of the area´s inaccessibility.

Authors of this compilation: Diego Carus and Maria Belén Dri – 06/12/2025