It is a relatively slender forest eagle which can vary considerably in appearance
Normally brown above; white below with barring on the undersides of the flight feathers and tail; black longitudinal streaks on throat and chocolate streaks on breast. Some subspecies have a crest of four feathers, but this is all but absent in others.
Is a solo bird outside of the mating season and breeds in India, Sri lanka and the southeast tip of the Himalayas.