The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) assigns it three subspecies, the nominate P. v. viridis, P. v. dextralis, and P. v. obscura.

BirdLife International's Handbook of the Birds of the World (HBW) treats each of the three IOC-recognized subspecies as separate species, the "green-winged", "olive-winged", and "black-winged" trumpeters respectively.

The dark-winged trumpeter is a chicken-like bird with a long neck and legs and a hump-backed profile.

Adults of the nominate subspecies are mostly velvety blackish with a dark smoky olive-green mantle and wing patch.

Subspecies P. v. dextralis (including interjecta) has a dark brown mantle and wing patch that is olive green towards the end.

P. v. obscura is almost identical to dextralis but has a small amount of purple iridescence on the lower neck and wing coverts.

(P. v. dextralis sensu stricto and P. v. interjecta are separated by the Rio Xingu when they are treated as individual subspecies.)

It has a small range and its estimated population of 50 to 250 mature individuals is believed to be decreasing, like that of the others due to deforestation and hunting.