 Although the black-breasted puffleg has recently been rediscovered in small populations outside its main range on the Pichincha volcano, its total area of occurrence is estimated as no larger than 80 km2.Of the habitat in its original range, 93-97% are considered to have been degraded or destroyed by agricultural expansion, logging and cattle grazing, and these practices remain the main threats to the species, together with natural and human-induced fires.A primary source of habitat loss has been the construction of the Oleoducto de Crudos Pesados (OCP) for oil transportation, a route that was established through one of the last remnants of forest.