Results from DNA sequence comparisons of cytochrome-b have been weak and inconclusive despite being referenced repeatedly as a justification for taxonomic splitting.

The bird has two black nape spots outlined in white on the back of its head, which look like eyes.

Their breeding habitat includes open to semi-open woodlands of foothills and mountains in western North America.

[4] Males will regularly perch at the top of the tallest available conifer trees to issue their territorial call, making them somewhat ventriloquistic in sloped landscapes, and causing distress and confusion among observers on the ground hoping to get a glimpse.

The second day after fledging, the young gradually climb and fly upward into the forest canopy, where they spend their first few weeks, at times perched "shoulder-to-shoulder" with their siblings, begging for food.

Despite many statements in popular literature, no reliable information exists on the seasonal movements of this species.

They eat small mammals, birds and large insects, and may take a variety of other vertebrates and invertebrates.