Large hawk-like cuckoo of dense forests, where it usually forages deep in the canopy. Adult gray above and pale below, with gray and orange blotches and loose streaks on breast. Juvenile similar but streaked with brown below, similar to juvenile Malaysian Hawk-Cuckoo, but the latter has a prominent white patch on the nape and evenly distributed tail bands, lacking in Hodgson’s. Far more often heard than seen; song is very unlike that of other hawk-cuckoos: two sharp notes, usually (not always) followed by a series of clattering trills.