Adult males of the nominate subspecies have a mostly velvety black head with a green forehead and a small white spot behind the eye.

Their throat is black, their upper breast collar orange, their belly glittering green, and their undertail coverts golden-green with white fringes.

Nominate adult females have a lighter black head than males, and with golden-green spots.

[7] The nominate subspecies of Gould's inca is found in the Andes of Bolivia in the departments of La Paz and Cochabamba.

[7] As far as is known, Gould's inca is a year-round resident throughout its range, but it might make short-distance seasonal movements.

[7] Gould's inca makes a cup nest of moss lined with fern scales.

[1] "[S]ince its habitat, humid montane cloudforest, is under heavy threat of destruction, [the] species could suffer in the near future.