Standing at around 50 cm (20 in) tall, the adult black honey buzzard has a dark head and body, with striking white bands on its tail and flight feathers.

[1] The black honey buzzard is a dark grey-brown colour with pale silvery bars on the wings and tail.

Birds within Perninae lack the bony eye shield that characterizes those in Elaninae, and are mainly found in the tropics where they are specialized to feed on insects, bee and wasp larvae.

[2] Although the generation length has not been studied directly, it is estimated to be approximately 10 years, based on that of two similar-sized raptors: The square-tailed kite (Lophoictinia isura) and the red goshawk (Erythrotriorchis radiatus).

[7] The island of New Britain has experienced considerable deforestation due to logging, as well as land use change as forested areas are converted to small-scale agricultural operations and oil palm plantations.

[7] However, a great deal of the species’ range is on steep and montane areas which are not suitable for logging or oil palm production.