| Adult | |
 | reddish or barred breast |
 | wide dark and narrow white bands on tail |
 | yellow cere, brown iris |
 | red on shoulder |
 | checkered wing |
 | white panel on primaries |
 | rufous on underside of wing |
| Juvenile | |
 | dull, less regularly marked tail than adult |
 | orange-brown iris |
  | pale or reddish panel in primaries is visible when wing spread |
 | mostly white on underside of wing |
| Nestling | |
 | yellow cere, tan iris vocal |
| Note: the adult and juvenile photos shown on this page are of Eastern Red-shouldered hawks (B. l. lineatus) |