It is a local bird and is rarely found between 1300 and 2400 m of altitude. It is an endemic bird of Colombia known only from the western and northern slopes of the central mountain range in the extreme northwest (La Frijolera, Ventanas above Valdivia) and the western slopes of the western mountain range near the headwaters of the San Juan river (slopes of Cerro de Tatamá in La Silva and Jamarraya river).