The light morph is dark greyish-brown on the upperparts with fine barring and pale spots along the scapulars.

The underparts are reddish-buff with a dense pattern of fine barring on the flight feathers and tail.

[4] Its call is a whistled "toot", which is given repeatedly with one second intervals.

[4] Nocturnal and very territorial, the Karthala scops owl will approach an imitation of its call, otherwise almost unknown.

It is classified as endangered due to it being restricted to such a small area, which is being rapidly deforested.