Gorgeted Puffleg

The gorgeted puffleg is 8 to 9 cm (3.1 to 3.5 in) long and weighs about 4.5 g (0.16 oz). It has a short, straight, black bill. Unique among pufflegs, the male has a glittering violet-blue gorget edged with green. The male's upperparts are mostly blackish with golden olive green iridescence; the rump has a green gloss. The moderately forked tail is dark steely blue. The breast and belly are velvety black with green gloss on the sides and the undertail coverts are blue. The leg puffs are white. The eye is dark brown and the legs blackish. The female's upperparts are a lighter bronzy green with a bluish rump and uppertail coverts. The belly is golden green with rufous fringes to the feathers and a turquoise gloss.

The gorgeted puffleg is known only from the Serranía del Pinche in the Western Andes of Colombia's Department of Cauca. The habitat is characterized by steep slopes of very humid cloudforest and elfin forest with rocky outcrops and natural clearings. The vegetation is dominated by Andean oak (Quercus humboldtii) with an understory of Ericaceae and several other plant families. In elevation this habitat is found mainly between 2,600 and 2,900 m (8,500 and 9,500 ft).

The gorgeted puffleg feeds on nectar from flowering shrubs in dense vegetation. It has been recorded feeding at Bejaria resinosa, Cavendishia bracteata, Cinchona pubescens, and Faramea flavicans.