Amphibians include frogs, toads, and salamanders. Other foods include fish, large insects, scorpions, centipedes, crayfish, worms, spiders, and road killed animals. Pellets are dark greyish-black and compact. Pellets are regurgitated 6 to 10 hours after eating. When close they bow to each other, with drooped wings.
Mutual bill rubbing and preening also occurs.
They do not build a nest of their own but utilise the nests of other birds such as the hawk, crow and heron. They may also use squirrel nests, hollows in trees, rocky caves, clumps of witches broom, abandoned buildings, or on artificial platforms. They are extremely aggressive when defending its nest and will continue to attack until the intruder is killed or driven off. Normally, two to four eggs are laid and incubated by the female only for 26-35 days. They are fed for another few weeks as they are slowly weaned.