The western Colombia population was at one time considered to be a subspecies P. y. sanctijohannis but the description was found to be that of immature birds.

[4] The white-whiskered hermit is found from Colombia's northern Chocó Department south through western Ecuador to El Oro Province.

The white-whiskered hermit is primarily sedentary but apparently makes seasonal elevation movements in Ecuador.

[4] The IUCN has assessed the white-whiskered hermit as being of Least Concern though its population size is unknown and believed to be decreasing.

[1] It is "[g]enerally common in wet forests [but] long-term survival clearly depends on habitat conservation.