With a total length of 9–10 cm (3.5–3.9 in) and a weight of 2–3 g (0.071–0.106 oz), it is among the smaller species of hermits.

The wing-coverts, mantle, nape and crown are dull iridescent green, the rump is pale rufous, the belly and flanks are buff, and the central underparts and throat are pale greyish brown, the latter with small dark streaks that often are faint and difficult to see.

The flight-feathers and tail are blackish; the latter tipped whitish to ochraceous depending on the subspecies involved.

It occurs in southern Mexico (north-eastern Oaxaca and southern Veracruz east to southern Quintana Roo), Belize, north-eastern Guatemala, northern and eastern Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, western, central and northern Colombia (mainly Pacific lowlands and the Magdalena valley region), western Ecuador (south to El Oro) and north-eastern Venezuela (both slopes of the Andes and northern mountains).

The nest, a small cup with a dangling "tail" below it, consists of plant-material held together by spiderwebs.