This species is rarely encountered, and little is known about its natural history. It is commonly found in the canopy of bamboo thickets at 2,000 m in wet cloud forests in the Vilcabamba region in Peru, where they vocalize with distinct birdlike calls (Emmons et al. 2015). It is folivorous and bamboo is a major food item (Patton et al. 2000). The type specimen was collected along a creek in the middle of the day (Allen 1900). It is not known to occur in modified habitats.

This species occurs in middle elevations of eastern Andean slopes of southern Peru and Northern Bolivia (Fabre 2016, Emmons et al. 2015). It is known only from two sites, Cotapata in Bolivia (3,300 m asl) and in Juliaca, Peru (around 1,000 to 3,000 m asl) (Patton et al. 2000, Salzar-Bravo et al. 2003).

It has been recorded from the Cotapata National Park in Bolivia. Further research is needed into the distribution, habitats and threats to this species.