The male has a green pileum and bright red throat, iridescent gorget with elongated lateral plumes, bluish upper parts, and the rest of the underparts mostly greyish white.

The bee hummingbird feeds mainly on nectar, by moving its tongue rapidly in and out of its mouth.

[6] It is a diurnal bird that can fly at 40–48 km/h (22–26 kn; 11–13 m/s), and it beats its wings 80–200 times per second, which allows it to remain stationary in the air to feed on flowers.

[12] The bee hummingbird is endemic to the entire Cuban archipelago, including the main island of Cuba and the Isla de la Juventud in the West Indies.

[3][13] In these regions bee hummingbirds generally live in areas of thick growth that contain lianas and epiphytes.

[3] Male bee hummingbirds court females with sound from tail-feathers, which flutter during display dives.

[17] Using strands of cobwebs, bark, and lichen, female bee hummingbirds build a cup-shaped nest about 2.5 cm (1 in) in diameter and 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft) off the ground.

[18] Branches in mature, leafy jucaro (Terminalia buceras) and juvenile ocuje (Calophyllum antillanum) trees are commonly used for nest building.

[4][13] Flowers that bee hummingbirds often feed from are odorless, have long narrow tubular corolla that are brightly colored, and has dilute nectar.