A medium-sized eagle. Adults have dark brown upperparts and a white, dark-streaked underside; juveniles are much paler.
Adults recorded in Hong Kong are dark brown above, sometimes with a white mantle patch, and white below with dark streaks on the chest and belly. Juveniles are much paler and take four to five years to gain adult plumage.
In Hong Kong, it is usually resident in less disturbed mountain and forest areas and is seen gliding along ridges. Young birds have been recorded hunting waterbirds in wetlands from autumn through spring.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.