[3] It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, and has also occurred as a vagrant in Brazil.

Their chin and upper throat are rufous to tawny with dark-tipped pale streaks.

[3] The species inhabits a variety of semi-arid to arid landscapes including shrub-steppe, lowland and montane scrublands, and temperate, hilly, and rocky grasslands.

In the non-breeding season it also occurs in tall grass, marshy areas, and Gran Chaco scrub.

Some portion of the population moves from the south to beyond the northern limit of the species' breeding range for the austral winter.

[7] The sharp-billed canastero breeds in the austral spring and summer, roughly September to February.

It weaves a globular nest of small twigs up to about 30 cm (12 in) across, with an entrance on the side or near the top.

The sharp-billed canastero's song is "a 2-note trill, 'tsee-ee-ee-ee, tsee-ee-ee-ee' " and its contact call "a rising 'sweep' ".