The long-tailed black-winged lory is medium-sized, growing up to 30 cm (12 in) in length, including tail. The plumage is mostly bright red, with a black shoulder, red eyes, an orangey red bill and violet ear-patches behind the eyes. The underwings are red, turning towards the black tips. Males and females look alike.
Due to ongoing destruction of habitat, small and localized population size and, in some areas, hunting, the black-winged lory is at risk of becoming extinct and is, therefore, evaluated as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES.