The Buffy Helmetcrest is a hummingbird of the high Andes of central Colombia. Local accounts place it in páramo around Los Nevados, among areas with frailejón plants.
Males have a short tan-and-black crest and an elongated beard with green above and a purple border. The underside is buff to brownish tan, and the outer tail feathers have buffy-white areas.
Its food includes nectar and invertebrates. The species account says it is more likely to land on a flower or another feeding surface than to hover while feeding.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.