In January 2021, both the South American Classification Committee (SACC) of the American Ornithological Society (AOS) and the International Ornithological Congress (IOC) elevated it to species status.

The neck is gray and the back, wings, and tail are dull olive green.

Its underside is white with grayish edges and a narrow black band across the upper chest.

Six specimens from Argentina had a mean weight of 22.1 g (0.78 oz)[4] The moss-backed sparrow is found in Bolivia from La Paz, Cochabamba, and Santa Cruz Departments into northwest Argentina as far south as Catamarca Province.

[4] The moss-backed sparrow is primarily inhabits tropical deciduous forest, both primary and second-growth.