1. Relatively a larger accipiter with proportionately short, broad and round wings.
2. At rest, wing tips barely extend beyond tail-base.
3. Has short stoutish legs and toes.
4. White under-tail coverts prominent splayed in flight.
5. Narrow white line along uppertail coverts is diagnostic if present.
6. The Crested Goshawk has thicker, stouter tarsi and stubby feet, similar to that of the Shikra Accipiter badius.
7. The Crested Goshawk has barrings on thigh.

Adult Male Dark grey crown and crest, paler grey ear coverts, prominent black submoustachial and gular stripe, grey brown upperparts and rufous brown streaking on breast and barring on belly and flanks.

Adult female Similar, but larger in size, but has brown crown and ear coverts and browner streaking and barring on underparts.

Juvenile Pale brown upperparts with pale fringes, fufous or buffish fringes to crown, crest and nape feathersstreaked ear coverts, and buff or rufous wash to underparts which are mainly streaked with brown (with barring restricted to lower flanks and thighs)

Breeding Feb to July

Distribution Mainly in Himalayas (N. uttar Pradesh to E. Arunachal Pradesh) , NE and SW India, Bangladesh and SriLanka.