However, as of 2020, BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) retains the single species "magnificent" hummingbird treatment with two subspecies.

[8] The Talamanca hummingbird is found in mountains from central Costa Rica into western Panama.

[8] The Talamanca hummingbird is generally sedentary, but some individuals move to lower elevations in what might be a regular migration.

[8] Talamanca hummingbirds feed on nectar from a variety of flowering plants, though the full list of sources has not been defined.

The species probably also feeds on small arthropods though details are lacking; the closely related Rivoli's hummingbird captures them in mid-air or by gleaning from vegetation while hovering.

[8] The Talamanca hummingbird's breeding season in Costa Rica spans from November to March; it has not been defined in Panama.

"[8] The IUCN follows HBW taxonomy and so treats Rivoli's and Talamanca hummingbirds as a single species assessed as being of Least Concern.

However, it "is vulnerable to habitat loss and degradation, although ample forest remains in the Cordillera de Talamanca.