It inhabits the edges and interior of humid montane, semi-deciduous, and pine-oak forest.

[5] The Oaxaca hummingbird forages for nectar at all levels of the forest from the understory to the canopy.

They were cups made of moss lined with plant down with lichen on the outside and placed between 1.2 and 5.4 m (4 and 20 ft) above the ground.

Its calls are not well known but also appear similar to the white-tailed's "liquid to slightly buzzy, rolled chip".

[5][6] The IUCN originally assessed the Oaxaca hummingbird as Threatened but since 1994 has rated it Endangered.

It has a very small range and its estimated population of 600 to 1700 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing.