Dusky Purpletuft

The dusky purpletuft is about 11 cm (4.3 in) long; one male weighed 15.3 g (0.54 oz). The sexes have almost the same plumage. They have long wings, a short tail, and a wide bill with a hooked tip. Adults have a mostly slaty blackish head, back, wings, and tail. They have a white band on the rump. Their underparts are smoky brown with white down the center. Males have a small tuft of violet feathers on their upper flank; females' tufts are white. Both sexes have a dark brown iris, a black maxilla, a lead-gray mandible, and dark lead-gray legs. Juveniles have white tips on their dark feathers.

The dusky purpletuft is found in far eastern and southeastern Bolívar state in eastern Venezuela, east across the Guianas, and possibly slightly into northeastern Brazil's Amapá state. There are also a few scattered records south near the Brazilian city of Manaus. It inhabits the canopy and edges of humid forest up to an elevation of 500 m (1,600 ft).

The dusky purpletuft feeds primarily on insects and also includes some fruit in its diet. It takes insects in mid-air with a sally from a treetop. Nothing else is known about its diet or feeding behavior.