A relatively small, long-tailed hawk with broad, rounded wings—unlike the pointed wings of kestrels. It sometimes soars, but is more often seen darting through cover in pursuit of small birds or sitting quietly in shaded perches. Look for the bright yellow eyes and the barred underparts, greyish in the female and rusty-toned in the male. Juveniles are browner above during their first year. It is noticeably slimmer and less heavy-built than a Northern Goshawk and shows horizontal barring below rather than vertical streaking. Found in woodland, forest, farmland, and even urban areas with hedges and trees, it may occasionally hunt in gardens.