This small hummingbird inhabits forests and cerrado in southeastern Brazil. The male has green cheek tufts with white spots; the female lacks these tufts.
The male has long green cheek tufts with white spots; when fanned, they reveal an iridescent green patch behind the eye. The female lacks the tufts and has a brownish throat and breast with white spots.
It feeds mostly on nectar, visiting flowers along repeated routes known as traplining. It also occurs in secondary growth and cerrado as well as forest.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.