[2] This bird seems to be declining in numbers and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated it as a "vulnerable species".

It has a black bill and large, bright yellow eyes with long pale grey, unfeathered legs.

[2] Normally seen on a prominent perch such as a telegraph pole or dead tree, as it is a sit-and-wait hunter, rather than in flight but generally behaviour is poorly known.

It breeds in November to March in West Africa in a small stick nest at up to 25 m (82 ft) in the top of a tree.

Raptors are seeing declines in their populations and this species appears to be decreasing in numbers and is categorised as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.