Male Purple-backed Sunbeams have iridescent purple backs and rumps. This hummingbird feeds on nectar and small insects on high Andean slopes in northern Peru.
Males have a brown head and back with iridescent purple feathers on the back and rump. Females may show less purple iridescence or none that is obvious.
It feeds on flower nectar and small insects, using flowers on shrubs and trees on open Andean slopes.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.