Adult Description
Large hawk. Wings long and broad. Large head with a wide gape. Tail white or light gray. In light form, head mostly white, back and shoulders rufous, pale patch in ends of wings, underparts mostly white, legs rufous, making a dark V visible from below. Dark morph entirely dark brown, with light gray or whitish tail, and light area near end of wings. Legs feathered to the toes.Immature Description
Juvenile similar to adult, but has lightly banded tail; light form lacks rufous legs and back.Pale Red-tailed Hawk lacks dark legs and reddish on back. Rough-legged Hawk is darker, with broad black tail band, and lacks white comma in wings.