You can hear the male White-bellied Woodstar coming. The wingbeats make a very distinctive rattling buzz, unlike those of any other species. The male's colors are also very distinctive, with bright blue-green upperparts and flanks contrasting with brilliant white belly and flank spot, much cleaner and brighter than a male Purple-throated Woodstar, and with no orange tones on the flanks. The females are more similar to female Purple-throated Woodstars, but they have a broad white oval down the belly, a whiter throat, and a larger white flank spot. Immature males may appear dirty and they lack the adult's gorget. Juveniles are ginger brown, but still have the obvious white flank spot and belly.

White-beillied Woodstars are much less common than Purple-throateds with only one or two around at a time, and sometimes they go missing for weeks. White-bellieds perch more readily on the feeders than Purple-throateds.

male	female
juvenile