[2][3] Its type locality is at 1500 m in the Hacienda Chinipamba, Imbabura Province in North-West Ecuador.

[5] The brown-headed spider monkey lives in tropical and subtropical humid forests that are between 100 and 1,700 metres (330 and 5,580 ft) above sea level.

It lives in population densities of 1.2 monkeys per square kilometer.

[2] It has a black or brown body and a brown head, while the Colombian spider monkey (A. f. rufiventris) is entirely black with some white on its chin.

[2] The brown-headed spider monkey is critically endangered as a result of habitat loss, due to deforestation, and hunting.