The plain-tailed warbling finch (Microspingus alticola) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.

Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.

The plain-tailed warbling finch was described in 1895 by English ornithologist Osbert Salvin from a specimen collected by Oscar Theodor Baron near the town of Huamachuco in La Libertad, Peru.

The plain-tailed warbling finch is a small bird weighing 24-28g.

It has a grey back, wings, and tail, a white breast and belly with tawny flanks and undertail covert, a rufous malar stripe, a white moustache and supercilium, variably yellow lores, and a black cheek and crown with a slaty cap.