Lets look at raptors today! Bald eagle or Golden eagle? The real hard question happens when we see immature Bald eagles, because they don’t have the obvious white heads. But, there are a few easy tips to distinguish the Bald eagle from the golden eagle: 1) The golden eagle is mostly brown. 2) When the golden eagle does have white, its at the base of its tail or on its wrists. 3) Immature bald eagles always have white armpits, regardless of how white the other parts of its plumage are.
Another note, This is a west-coast centric raptor post. The Red-shouldered hawks, especially the juveniles, look different than the east coast variety.
If you are curious what any of these look like compared to a Red-tailed hawk, check out this blog post.