Philip Sclater described the species as Turdus pinicola from southern Mexico in 1859.

It has a cinnamon or reddish-brown lower back, a black tail and scaled underparts.

[6] The species is found in Mexico, in mountains 1,800–3,500 m (5,900–11,500 ft) above sea level.

The Aztec thrush is a vagrant in western Texas to southeastern Arizona.

[6] The first record in the United States was an immature bird observed in 1977 in Big Bend National Park, Texas.

[7][8] This bird usually associates in small groups, sometimes joining mixed-species foraging flocks.

The decline does not appear rapid enough to meet the criteria for vulnerable status, and the range size and population size are both above the threshold for vulnerable status, so the IUCN Red List has assessed the species to be of least concern.