The Large-footed Finch is the sole member of the genus Pezopetes and is confined to the highlands of Costa Rica and westernmost Panama, where it occurs in the forest understory, second growth, and brushy, overgrown pastures mostly between 2,150 and 3,350 m. It is a large, long-tailed, chunky sparrow, with very large legs and feet, but a seemingly out of proportion slender bill. The large feet are used to scratch for seeds and insects on the forest floor, although the birds also pluck small fruits. Large-footed Finch is overall a rather dark plumaged bird, having a mostly black head and throat, becoming grayer over the nape, with a largely olive body and wings, paler and more yellowish on the underparts. Large-footed Finch is generally common, but it is somewhat unobtrusive due to its preference for densely vegetated areas, such as ravines.