These restricted range hummingbirds are not easily distinguished from Short-tailed Emeralds (Chlorostilbon poortmanni), but in Venezuela they are almost always found above the range of the Short-tailed Emerald. When perched, their wings extend all the way to the tail. Since their identification is challenging in the field, these emeralds are not as well known as others. They tend to prefer humid forests, shrubby forester borders, second growth, and low scrub where they are found feeding from flowers with upright or horizontal corollas. They are apparently common above the city of Mérida in Venezuela.