The face, neck, and upper breast are all bright red, while the crown and sides of the head are black.

Red-faced warblers are locally common in mountain forests of conifers and oak at 2,000 to 3,000 m (6,600 to 9,800 ft) above sea level.

In winter they migrate south into southern Mexico and the Central American nations of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras.

They are permanent residents of the central and southern mountains of western Mexico, the range called Sierra Madre Occidental.

It is hidden amongst the debris on the forest floor, buried in the ground, sheltered under a shrub, log, or rock.