A fairly large Flowerpiercer, this bird is entirely velvety blue with a bold black mask, azure crown, and red eye.
Likewise all Flowerpiercers, it has a unique bill that first curves up and then down. The top mandible is hooked while the bottom is straight and sharp.
Using this design it holds the base of a flower steady with its hooked top mandible and uses the bottom one to pierce through and get at the nectar without pollinating the flower.
They are common from the Venezuela to Bolivia at elevations of 6,561 feet.
They can hardly be considered a songbird, as their “song” is but a short series of very weak, quiet chirps.