The Rufous-crested Coquette is a tiny hummingbird of humid forest edges and nearby clearings in Central and South America. Males have a long rufous crest that females lack.
Males have a long rufous crest, bronzy-green upperparts, a white band across the rump, and a rufous tail. Females lack the crest; they have a dull rufous forecrown and bronze streaking on the chest.
It lives along humid forest edges, in secondary growth, and near clearings. It mainly takes nectar from small flowers and also catches winged arthropods in flight. It often perches on exposed branches and slowly wags its tail in flight.
The tips of the male’s crest feathers have very small black marks.
The female’s tail is rufous, with a black band near the tip.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.