[2] The South American Classification Committee of the American Ornithological Society accepted it as a new species in July 2020, the International Ornithological Committee (IOC) followed suit in January 2021, and the Clements taxonomy in August 2021.

[1] The species' English name derives from the Bosque Ampay, where early specimens and sound recordings were made.

Its specific epithet honors Bret M. Whitney "for his outstanding contributions to Neotropical ornithology", especially those relating to genus Scytalopus.

[2] Like all members of genus Scytalopus, the Ampay tapaculo is a small, plump, dull-colored bird.

The single female specimen shows dark reddish brown upperparts with blackish bars on the lower back and rump.

It has a prominent pale supercilium and its throat and breast are a lighter gray than the male's.

In Ayacucho it mainly inhabits shrubby and bunchgrass landscapes on steep rocky slopes at elevations between 3,500 and 4,200 m (11,500 and 13,800 ft).