This small hummingbird lives on the highlands of Bahia in eastern Brazil. It feeds in open rocky scrub and is described as sedentary.
It is about 8–11 cm long. The adult male has a black head and shining gold-green face and throat, with a white breast band, red throat ornament and reddish tail. The female has a green head and a less vivid throat.
It feeds on nectar in open highland scrub at roughly 950–1,600 m. The habitat combines rocky ground and low shrubs; the species is treated as resident rather than migratory.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.