The Madagascar harrier-hawk is a largish raptor with long and broad wings which when folded almost reach to the tip of the tail.

[4] It has also been recorded from montane rainforest, spiny desert scrub, degraded forests and other wooded habitats, including plantations of exotic trees.

[3] The nest of the Madagascar harrier-hawk is a large, bulky structure which is constructed using sticks and situated approximately 18–30 m (59–98 ft) above the ground within the canopy of a tree.

Like the African harrier-hawk they possess the unusual morphological adaptation of having an intertarsal joint that allows their legs to flex backwards and forwards.

This means that they can use their feet to probe and remove prey from hidden sites such as holes in tree trunks, weaver nests and rock crevices where they can extract nestling birds from such normally inaccessible places.