This hummingbird lives in mountain forests from Nicaragua to northern Mexico. It has a white ear-stripe on a dark head; in bright light, an adult male's face appears violet and its throat gleams green.
Adult males have a clear white ear-stripe against a dark head. In good light the face appears violet and the throat shimmers green. Females and immature males share the dark-and-white head pattern but lack the adult male's iridescence.
It lives in mountain forests and feeds for nectar low in forest clearings.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.