The White-winged Potoo is marked by large white shoulder patches and a small build.
Individuals observed near Manaus were smaller than Common Potoos and had large, pure-white shoulder patches.
The stomach of one bird collected near Manaus in 1989 contained true bugs, butterflies or moths, and beetles. All were less than 1 cm long.
Near Manaus, perched birds gave a whistled song that gradually descended over 3–4 seconds. A short call was heard both when perched and in flight.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.