Its range also extends into eastern Paraguay and north-eastern Argentina and it has recently been recorded in Uruguay.

It is a small, rounded bird, 13 cm in length with a short tail and fairly long legs.

At dusk and dawn the males make a buzzing sound with their wing feathers as they fly around their territory.

The rufous gnateater feeds by moving quickly from one perch to another through undergrowth close to the ground.

When it sees an insect it makes a short flight down to the ground or to overhead leaves to catch it.