Short-billed hummingbird of the high Andes. Male has a narrow, multicolored throat patch that can appear dark until it catches the light just right and explodes into glittering iridescence; throat patch is reduced or lacking in female and immature. Both sexes have a rufous crown and broad white tips to the tail. Inhabits elfin forest and scrub near tree line from central Colombia south to extreme northern Peru. Often clings to flowers or branches while feeding.