Black-bellied hummingbird

Hummingbirds will often claim specific flowers and guard them. This species is no different where the dominant males will lay claim to flowers in the canopy of a forest.[2] Females will focus more on understories or forest edges where there is less competition.[2] Its call has been identified as a sharp 'tseep' or peet', with sharp tsittering' during chases, and a 'high thin sputtering warble' for its song.[2]

Its diet consists of arthropods and the nectar of Inga and Pithecellobium, epiphytes (Ericaceae, Columnea, Eleanthus, Norantea), and flowers of Cephaelis, Witheringia, and Besleria (Stiles and Skutch 1989).[2] In certain studies it has demonstrated greater interest towards short flower types vs long.[5] The abundance of its flowers has correlated with when this species breeds - usually from October to March.[2][4] With a nest only 2-4m off the ground, the clutch normally has ~2 plain white eggs.[2]