The Puna Ibis is distributed in the Andes of Peru, Bolivia and north-west Argentina and the extreme north of Chile. It is found in puna wetlands normally at 3500 to 5000 metres but some descend to the coast from May to September.

Breeding adults, as seen in photo 1, have a dark brown head and a violet to purplish gloss to the body and wings. The bill is pink with a greyish bar near the base. The eye is red. Non-breeding adults is duller with streaks on the brown head.