This hummingbird ranges from Colombia through southwestern Ecuador to eastern Peru. It is usually solitary in the lower levels of humid cloud forest.
The male is dark bright green above, with a brighter emerald rump. The forehead and underparts are iridescent emerald, with a large white patch at the center of the chest and prominent white leg puffs. The female lacks the iridescent forehead.
It is usually solitary in the lower forest strata, mainly inside very humid cloud forest and less often at its edges.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.