Described subspecies of Tyto novaehollandiae include: Brown feathers surround a white, heart-shaped mask.

They are nocturnal and their prey includes rodents, small dasyurids, possums, bandicoots, rabbits, bats, birds, reptiles and insects.

A 2020 case study done using radio telemetry showed that the “home” range of these owls might be as large as 19–23 km2, but this data remains ambiguous due to the small sample size.

[7] The breeding population in Tasmania's Takayna rainforest is under threat from a proposal by the MMG Mining Company, 68% of which is owned by China's Minmetals conglomerate to dump acidic mineral waste by flooding the forest with a dam to hold its tailings.

[8] As of February 2024, the plan is awaiting ministerial approval by Australia's Environmental Minister Tanya Plibersek.

In Victoria (Australia), the masked owl is a listed threatened bird,[10] and an Action Statement has been prepared under the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988.