The Brasilia tapaculo is 11 cm (4.3 in) long. One male weighed 19.2 g (0.68 oz) and two unsexed specimens weighed 15.6 and 18.6 g (0.55 and 0.66 oz). The adult is blue-gray above and whitish to pale gray below. The lower back and rump are reddish brown and the vent is rufous with gray barring. The juvenile has not been described.
The Brasilia tapaculo is found in disjunct areas in eastern Goiás, the Distrito Federal, and western Minas Gerais. It inhabits gallery forest, primarily permanently flooded areas with Blechnum ferns and Euterpe palms. It has a fairly narrow elevational range of 800 to 1,000 m (2,600 to 3,300 ft).
The Brasilia tapaculo forages on the ground for insects, spiders, and centipedes.
The only information on the Brasilia tapaculo's breeding phenology is that a specimen collected in July had active gonads.
The IUCN has assessed the Brasilia tapaculo as Endangered. Its range of approximately 72 km2 (28 mi2) is greatly fragmented and under continued threat of degradation. It does, however, occur in at least six protected areas.
