Their face, throat, and breast are white with heavy black streaks.

One population is found in the Colombian Central Andes and on the west slope of the country's Western Andes south along the Andean west slope to central Ecuador.

Another is found on the east slope of the Western Andes and south on the Andes' east slope through Ecuador into northern Peru as far as the Department of San Martín.

It especially favors bamboo thickets and occurs less frequently in other dense undergrowth such as vine tangles and shrubby forest borders.

It typically forages by itself, in pairs, or in family groups and sometimes joins mixed-species feeding flocks.

It takes most of its prey by reaching or lunging from a perch and also makes short sallies to overhanging vegetation.

[8][9][10][11] The streak-headed antbird's nesting season has not been defined but in northeastern Ecuador includes August.

The incubation period, time to fledging, and other details of parental care are not known.

[1] It is generally considered fairly common but local, though uncommon in Peru.

[8][11] It occurs in several protected areas, and the "ability of this species to utilize some second-growth habitats may render it less vulnerable than other members of the genus".