Bill—short, curved, and very sharp.
Claws—strong, curved, and very sharp,—middle toe longest.
Wings—long and pointed—made for rapid flight and long journeys.
Female larger than male.
Food—other smaller birds of the air—small ducks and chickens—occasionally larger insects, snakes, etc.
Nest in the fork of a tree—made of crooked sticks and lined with leaves, bark, etc.
Eggs—two to four in number, bluish white, thickly speckled with brown.
Iris in young bird's eyes yellow—turning to reddish brown with maturity.