The breast is whitish and the tail is rust coloured.
Younger birds are duller and more streaked and lack the rust-coloured tail of the adult.
They inhabit deciduous forests and open country of various kinds including tundra, plains and farmlands. Biology - This species soars over open country in search of its main source of food, the small rodent. 2 or 3 white eggs, spotted with brown are laid in a nest of sticks lined with bark and bits of green vegetation which is built in a tall tree or on a rock edge.