This hummingbird has a brown body and iridescent blue-violet feathers near the ears. Trinidad holds an isolated population within the species' wider range.
The male has a dull brown body and gray underside, with iridescent blue-violet and green feathers near the ears and throat.
It uses mid-level rainforest, secondary growth and coffee plantations, and takes nectar from small flowers.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.