The Purple-throated Carib is a hummingbird with a dark body, green wings, and a throat and breast that can look purplish red as the light changes. The sexes share the same colors, but females have longer, more curved bills.
It often looks black except for its emerald wings and tail. Its throat and breast may appear purplish red or nearly black depending on the light. Both sexes have the same colors, but the female’s bill is longer and more sharply down-curved.
It feeds mainly on nectar and also eats insects. Males tend to visit Heliconia flowers with short corollas, while females visit those with longer corollas.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.