This is a classic view of a soaring adult Red-tailed Hawk. Note the bulging inner posterior wing (secondaries), the dark head, pale breast, belly-band, dark inner leading wing edge (patagium) and of course red tail.
In the non-breeding season in Western Washington we occasionally see a Rough-legged Hawk, or extremely rarely a Swainson's Hawk or even a Broad-winged Hawk, but even in winter the Red-tailed Hawk is by far our most commonly seen buteo. Between May and August really the only buteo we see is the Red-tailed Hawk. Still, Red-tailed hawks come in innumerable different plumages. The key to identification of Red-tailed Hawks is not so much their plumage, but their shape and proportions.
This light-morph eastern type juvenile Red-tailed Hawk looks very different from the adult at the top of this post. Look at the similarities. It has bulging secondaries, a belly band and dark patagial marks. Juveniles have a faintly banded tail that may not look red at all.
This is our typical western darkish variant of the light morph RTHA.
Perched from behind RTHA often have whitish chevron like markings on their upper back area.
Some of our western RTHA have an overall rufous coloration, but still note the tark head, light breast and belly band.
Here the trick is to figure out which hawks are not Red-tailed hawks. It is easy to be fooled. Myself I often write off a different hawk as a Red-tailed without taking a closer look.
Stay diligent.
This is a Rough-legged Hawk.
Good birding. Good day.
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