The Eastern White-throated Spadebill is usually found at high altitudes (600 to 2,000 metres) throughout most of its range in Venezuela and Brazil and adjacent areas of Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. In south-east Brazil it can be found in the lowlands. See the distribution map at Birdlife International.

There are several subspecies and the one found in south-east and east Brazil, P. m. cancromus , has a pale lower mandible, yellow tinges to the throat and more ochraceous colouring on the breast and belly. These are some of the features that distinguish it from Western White-throated Spadebill P. albogularis as split by the HBW and Birdlife International checklist.