Distinctive finch-like bird restricted to cloud forest Andes of western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Plumage is chestnut-brown with a black head and silvery stripes on face and crown. Sexes look alike. Typically encountered alone or in pairs; stays low in dense vegetation, often along roadsides, and does not join mixed-species flocks. Song is a high-pitched, buzzy series of notes which may be repeated many times in a row.