Distribution

The Purple-throated Mountain-gem is a resident species of the highland cloud forests of southwestern Nicaragua, northwestern Costa Rica and central western Panama (Snow 1977, Stiles and Skutch 1989, Ridgely and Gwynne 1989, Feinsinger and Tiebout 1991, García-Moreno et al. 2005, Martínez-Sánchez and Will 2010).

In northern Costa Rica the elevational distribution is above 800 m on the Caribbean slope and above 1000 m on the Pacific slope; in central Costa Rica the distribution is 1200-2500 m (Stiles and Skutch 1989). Locally descends to 300 m after breeding (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

Endemic to the Americas.

Occurs in humid montane evergreen forest. Specifically, occupies "forested areas in steeply sloping, broken terrain" (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

The range has contracted somewhat due to deforestation. In particular, Stiles and Skutch (1989) note that it now will be difficult to address reports of hybridization between Lampornis taxa (see Systematics) "because of extensive deforestation in most of the critical contact zones" (Stiles and Skutch 1989).

None reported.