Adult males have a violet-red throat and a sharply defined white gorget. This small hummingbird lives at forest edges in the mountains of Ecuador and northern Peru and feeds mainly on nectar.
It is about 10–11 cm long. The male has a luminous green forehead spot, a black chin, a violet-red throat, and a sharply defined white gorget below it. The female has a mottled dark throat and only a faint gorget.
It is resident in mountain forest and along forest edges, feeding mainly on nectar. Reported habitat elevations are about 1,200–2,800 m.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.