Their wing coverts are tawny-rufous and their flight feathers dark fuscous with rufescent brown edges.

[3][4] The blackish-headed spinetail is found from Manabí and Loja provinces in southwestern Ecuador south into the departments of Tumbes and Piura in far northwestern Peru.

[3][4] The blackish-headed spinetail is considered a year-round resident throughout its range but there is some slight evidence of elevational movements.

It gleans prey from leaf litter, foliage, and small branches in dense cover up to about 2 m (7 ft) above the ground.

The blackish-headed spinetail's song is "a short, dry, ascending trill, 't-t-t-t-t-tit' " that it repeats every few seconds.

Persistent grazing by goats and cattle removes understorey, prevents forest regeneration and is a serious current threat.