The Mountain velvetbreast is found in a forest belt from Venezuela to Peru and is usually divided into six subspecies. This one, in Ecuador, belongs to the subspecies "saul", which has a whiter belly than other subspecies. The Mountain velvetbreast is 11.5-12 cm long and, as you can see in the picture, it has a curved black bill and a fluffy tail. This is a female hovering in the air, the male has a black spot on the lower vent and is more uniformly green on the breast. It is unusually tolerant in terms of altitude ratios (which not all species are) and occur from 1,800 to 3,700 meters above sea levael. It seems like it migrates seasonally between different altitudes, which may explain the somewhat extreme variation of habitat.