A small eagle but with powerful talons. It has a brown back with darker primaries. The underparts are paler and mottled. It has two plumage phases: a dark phase and the commoner pale phase. Although it winters in Africa, there are increasingly more individuals that stay throughout the whole year in Extremadura. It breeds in trees in forested areas. They feed on small birds, rodents and reptiles. Like the large eagles, its legs are feathered.
