A small hummingbird of the northern Andes in Colombia and Ecuador. In males, the white tips of the central tail feathers stand out against the green plumage.
The male is green with an iridescent green gorget and a forked tail with white tips on the central feathers. Females are green above and white with green mottling below. A violet throat patch occurs rarely in males.
It is reported from the understory of humid montane forest at 1,350–2,200 m, where it is described as uncommon or rare.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.