It occurs in favorable habitats from southern Columbia to the mountains of Azuay Province, especially around the volcanoes of Cotacachi, Pichincha, Antisana, Iliniza, and Cotopaxi.

[5] Nectar is a very important food for the Ecuadorian hillstar and their main source is the orange flowers of the Chuquiraga shrub.

The nests are very large for a hummingbird and are built out of warm material like grass, moss, feathers, plant down, horse hair, and rabbit fur.

This remarkable case of geographic differentiation has caught the attention of many prominent biologists, among which was Alfred Russel Wallace.

[7] The presence of the two subspecies is presumed to be related to the complex topography of the Andes, which may have presented numerous opportunities for geographic isolation.

Past isolation tied to the varying climate of the Pleistocene may have promoted differentiation within the range of the Ecuadorian Hillstar.

Such isolation may not have occurred a long time ago, because no notable differences between the subspecies have been found in mitochondrial DNA.