This relatively little-known species is found from the southern Malay Peninsula down a string of several of the larger southeast Asian islands to as far as Borneo.

It forms a superspecies with the physically similar but larger spot-bellied eagle-owl (Ketupa nipalensis), although the two species appear to be allopatric in distribution.

It typically is a resident of evergreen forests with pools or streams, but also ranges into large gardens with tall, densely foliated trees, such as the Bogor Botanical Gardens found in West Java as well as wooded groves in cultivated country, both sometimes not far from human habitations.

The upperparts are grey-brown, crossed and mottled with several zigzag bars of rufous-tawny colour, being broadest on the back.

The mesoptile stage in transition to adult plumage, is still a dirty white but is banded with brown on the wings and tail and the ear-tufts are much shorter than on mature birds.

Fish owls have no feathering on their tarsi, more tawny overall colour and lack the white stripe on the head and ear-tufts.

Other vocalizations known for this species include a noisy cackle of various syllables, fearful shrikes and strangulate noises, normally uttered in the early evening.

[8] When held in captivity, this species is not choosy and will consume fresh meat from fish, birds and mammals.

In one instance, when kept in an aviary with a changeable hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus), the owl killed and consumed the hawk-eagle despite its similar body size, indicative of a ferocity and lack of discrimination in regards to prey species, once again similar to other eagle-owls.