Black bazas have short, stout legs and feet with strong talons, and a prominent crest.

Several geographic races have been described including wolfei which is based on a single specimen from Sichuan[2] and may belong to the nominate subspecies.

Migratory birds may be seen in large numbers at some locations such as Chumphon in Thailand where they account for nearly 40% of the raptors on passage.

[11] In some parts of Hong Kong, they have established themselves in recent times changing from summer visitors to residents in small numbers.

[15][16] Winter records of the species include stray occurrences in or near metropolitan areas such as the Guindy National Park in Chennai,[17][18] near Trivandrum[19][20] and Bangalore.

[21] More recent studies have suggested that the species may be a regular winter visitor in the eastern part of peninsular India, and not just a passage migrant.

The nest is a firm platform of thin sticks with a central depression and lined with grass, fiber and overlaid with green leaves.