Adult could be confused with chanting goshawks but the broad, floppy wings and the single central white tail bar are distinctive. The legs are yellow. Close view reveals the bare yellow facial skin and the elongated nape feathers.
Juvenile and immature are easily confused with many other brown-plumaged raptorsas they have variable brown plumage with no diagnostic markings, but the small head and broad wings, combined with the lazy manner of flight, aid identification. At close range, juvenile shows bare greyish facial skin.
Forests, riverine forests and open, broad-leaved woodland.
During the breeding season, a whistled 'suuu-eeee-ooo'.