The last of these has sometimes been treated as a separate species, and two other subspecies split from albicauda and colombiana have been proposed, but these treatments have not gained support.

The nominate subspecies' upperparts are blackish-brown to dark rufous with conspicuous white streaks.

[3] The nominate subspecies of band-tailed guan is found in the eastern Andes of Colombia and western Venezuela and also in the Venezuelan Coastal Range.

P. a. albicauda is found in the Serranía del Perijá of northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.

The nominate P. a. argyrotis is restricted to the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta of northern Colombia.

The band-tailed guan uses a wing-rattling display to announce territories; it sounds like "canvas ripping forward, then in reverse".