It has a black "mask" and white supercilium and malar stripe and a very dark brown throat that appears streaky.

[5] The nominate subspecies of streak-throated hermit is found from the extreme eastern part of Colombia's Vichada Department through central and eastern Venezuela and western Guyana into northern Brazil's Roraima state.

The species inhabits the understory at the edges of rainforest and the interior of várzea forest.

[5] The streak-throated hermit feeds on nectar and also on small arthropods, but details of its diet and foraging technique have not been published.

[5] The IUCN has assessed the streak-throated hermit as being of Least Concern, though its population size and trend are not known.