They have a dark grey head, a white patch on the breast, the brownish -white vent and thighs are spotted with brown.

[3] The Madagascar buzzard has a breeding season which extends from July to November, It builds its nest in the fork of a tree, in a palm tree or on a cliff ledge, constructing it from sticks and lining it with fresh foliage.

The clutch is normally made up of 1-2 eggs which the female lays spaced apart but starts incubating as soon as the first one is laid.

Once the eggs hatched the older sibling usually kills the younger and only very rarely are two chicks raised to fledging.

[4][3] This species is an opportunistic hunter which take a wide variety of prey including small mammals, birds, lizards, snakes, frogs, terrestrial crabs and other large arthropods.