This hummingbird inhabits the western Andes of Colombia and Ecuador. It has brown plumage and a white spot behind the eye, and uses humid montane forest and cloud forest.
It is about 11 cm long, with dark brown upperparts and somewhat lighter underparts. A white post-ocular spot marks the area behind the eye, and the throat or upper chest may show a subtle iridescence.
It inhabits humid montane and cloud forests at 700–2,200 m, feeding mainly on nectar and also taking small insects and spiders. In August 2002, a female incubating two white eggs was recorded in a moss cup in mature forest near Mindo, Ecuador.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.