Selasphorus ardens is restricted to west and central Panama in the Serranía de Tabasará (eastern Chiriquí and Veraguas provinces) and possibly the highlands of Azuero Peninsula. In Chiriquí, it has been recorded on Cerro Flores and Cerro Colorado (adjacent peaks in the Cerro Santiago massif), but recently only from Cerro Colorado^5,7,9. In Veraguas, there are records from Cerro Tute (a few sightings in the 1980s), Calovévora (presumably Pico Calovevora just north of Santa Fe) and an unnamed locality (possibly Santa Fe itself) in the Santa Fe area⁸. It is poorly known, seemingly uncommon and difficult to locate, perhaps increasingly so⁶, but this may be confounded by seasonal migrations¹⁰. In 1994, Selasphorus hummingbirds were mist-netted and a specimen taken on Cerro Hoya, in the Azuero Peninsula, Los Santos⁴. These records probably refer to this species, but there is some doubt concerning their identification^3,4.