A 16–18 cm canastero with a generally grayish appearance, showing rufous-brown tones on the wings, rump, and rear body. Crown gray-brown (never reddish). Eyebrow faint and pale. Throat unstriped, with a black or dark-spotted gular patch (variable). Underparts gray, with flanks and the area near the base of the tail rufous-cinnamon. Tail long and graduated, with the outer feathers entirely rufous and the central ones blackish. Bill straight, black; legs dark. Juvenile duller. It differs from the Rusty Canastero (Asthenes dorbignyi) because the Chestnut Canastero has a gray crown, rufous base of the tail and rufous outer tail feathers, and a black gular patch, while the Rusty has a chestnut crown, cinnamon gular patch, and a tail that is black from the base.
Geographical distribution: Endemic to Argentina. Ranges from western Salta southwards through Tucumán, Catamarca, La Rioja, San Juan, Mendoza, Neuquén, northern Río Negro and northern Chubut, and also Sierra de las Quijadas (San Luis). Generally 1,600–2,800 m, reaching 500 to 3,000 m depending on the region. In Tucumán it inhabits arid ravines in the cactus zone (Amaicha del Valle).
Habitat: Arid environments of the Monte and lower Andean zones, shrublands and shrub-steppe, rocky slopes, clay cliffs, dry ravines with jarilla, retamo and columnar cacti. Prefers dry, open, rocky areas, avoiding humid high-elevation zones. Resident but may descend in altitude after the breeding season.
Behavior: Solitary or in pairs, quite hidden among shrubs, though it also moves through open areas. Forages on the ground with short, low movements. Flies little and low. Sometimes keeps the tail slightly raised. Song is a descending and accelerating trill, and the call is a dry nasal buzz.
Diet: Arthropods such as ants, beetles, larvae and spiders, searched for on the ground and low vegetation by clearing dry leaves or examining the bases of shrubs.
Nesting: Large globular nest made of small sticks, often thorny, with an upper entrance and an inner chamber lined with soft plant fibers, feathers and grasses, placed in shrubs or cacti. Clutch of 2–3 white eggs.
Conservation status: Species not considered threatened, though endemic and locally uncommon.
Authors of this compilation: Diego Carus and Maria Belén Dri – 06/12/2025