The Peruvian Plantcutter is endemic to Peru where it is distributed in a few disjunct areas in north-west Peru. See the distribution map at Birdlife International. It is found in open dry forest with dense shrub and in desert scrub and thickets by rivers.

As its name suggests it is a herbivore feeding off the leaves, shoots and buds of trees and bushes.

Antonio Raimondi was an Italian naturalist who worked extensively in Peru from 1850 to 1890.