The male has a white crown and dark plumage with coppery reflections. Its outer tail feathers have white bases and dark terminal bands. This small hummingbird feeds on nectar near forest edges.
The male has a flattened white crown and blue-black plumage with coppery reflections. The central tail feathers are deep purple. The outer tail feathers are white basally, with bluish-black terminal bands edged in white.
It feeds on nectar. In the Belen district in 1852, an individual repeatedly dipped its head into water, then perched on a nearby twig to preen.
The bill is straight and slender, and the tail is slightly rounded.
Young birds from the Belen district had dull green in the centre of the crown, with white feathers appearing at its edges and near the bill. Their underparts mixed dark and white plumage.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.