The head has a chestnut crown, a black mask, a white submoustacial stripe, and a yellow throat.

[3] The Merida brushfinch is a year-round resident of the Andes of western Venezuela, in Mérida and the eastern part of Táchira departments.

It usually forages and travels in pairs or family groups but will also join mixed-species flocks.

Though it usually remains hidden in dense vegetation, it appears to tolerate human observers.

Young have been seen: a juvenile bird in Perijá in August and fledglings in Mérida in May and June.