It inhabits humid Polylepis-Gynoxys woodlands, where it favors boggy areas at the base of steep rocky slopes.

[5] The royal cinclodes mostly feeds on invertebrates but also occasionally includes seeds and small vertebrates like frogs in its diet.

It forages singly or in pairs, probing and digging for prey in among mossy rocks, in decaying wood, and in boggy areas.

[5] The IUCN originally assessed the royal cinclodes in 1988 as Threatened but since 1994 has rated it Critically Endangered.

It has a very small and fragmented range and an estimated population of between 50 and 250 mature individuals that is believed to be decreasing.

"The main threats are the uncontrolled use of fire and heavy grazing, which combine to cause the degradation and loss of understorey moss cover, and prevent Polylepis regeneration...Cutting for timber, firewood and charcoal is locally destructive.