[4][5] The neblina metaltail was described in 1980 following expeditions sponsored by Louisiana State University's Museum of Zoology.

The sides of its head and neck vary from bronzy olive to coppery bronze and its gorget is reddish purple to rosy red.

It inhabits the edges of elfin forest and páramo, moist landscapes characterized by shrubby growth and small trees.

The nest was a cup made mostly from moss with lichens on the outside placed in a small cavity on a rock face.

The neblina metaltail's vocalizations have variously been described as "a rather loud seet-seet-seet-ti-tttt...and 'a jerky, wiry chatter'.

Though its population is estimated at fewer than 6700 mature individuals and is believed to be decreasing, much of its range is remote, protected, and not severely fragmented.