It is listed by the IUCN as "near threatened" because its range is limited with its population being fragmented on several different islands, and its forest habitat is being degraded by ongoing logging and clearance.

[4] The voice has been described as a simple waa and a goose-like honk, with a descending series of short was during territorial disputes.

It is fairly common in coconut groves and other wooded habitats, such as stands of Casuarina equisetifolia, though the total range size is small and estimated to be less than 2,000 km2 (772 sq mi).

[4] The Mantanani scops owl is considered to be near threatened because it is confined to increasingly disturbed and degraded habitats within a small range.

The BirdLife population estimate for the species over its entire range is 6,000 to 15,000 individuals and decreasing.