Birds of prey go through a series of molts on their way to adult plumage, it’s not always easy to tell who’s who. This “juvenile” Golden Eagle has its first year plumage, note the black and white patterning, once it molts those first year feathers it takes on a series of “immature” plumages for 3 to 4 years until it grows it’s adult plumage.
Below is an immature Cooper’s Hawk, note the overall wing and tail shape as well as the black and white banding pattern.
Here is a juvenile dark morph Red-Tailed Hawk.
…and this is an adult Red-Tailed Hawk, complete with it’s iconic…red tail!
