A high-Andean hummingbird with cinnamon-rufous plumage that varies by subspecies. Both sexes have an iridescent rump. Flower nectar was the main food recorded at study sites in Peru and Ecuador.
It is cinnamon-rufous, with the amount of dusky coloring on the head, back, and underparts varying by subspecies. Both sexes have an iridescent pink, purple, yellow, and blue rump; the tail is slightly notched.
At study sites in Peru and Ecuador, most nectar-feeding events were at flowers of Oreocallis grandiflora. Other flowers and some insect foraging were also recorded.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.