The forehead, neck, back, and upper wings of the adults are usually a dark reddish-brown with light brown barring scattered throughout.

The face is dark brown, and the neck, breast and underparts are rufous with thin cream bars.

[8] The global population size of Ninox rufa has yet to be determined, but the species is considered uncommon to rare.

The rufous owl has a regular breeding season from June to September, depending on the warmth of its habitat.

Some nests are built as high as thirty meters above the ground in order to protect them from ground-dwelling predators.

The adult males and females will both aggressively defend their nests against predators and intruders while the young still reside inside.

[9] The rufous owl is a skilled and powerful hunter, capable of capturing a wide variety of prey.

Their diet is extremely diverse, ranging from birds and insects to small mammals such as flying foxes.

Mammal prey sizes have been recorded from small rodents of 5 to 15 g to larger arboreal marsupials such as the Northern brushtail possum (1100 to 2000 g).

Mammals that the rufous owl has been documented to feed upon include the following: little red flying fox (Pteropus scapulatus), black flying fox (Pteropus alecto), brush-tailed phascogale (Phascogale tapoatafa), northern brushtail possum (Trichosurus arnhemensis), sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps), black-footed tree-rat (Mesembriomys gouldii), brush-tailed rabbit rat (Conilurus penicillatus), northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus), pale field rat (Rattus tunneyi), dusky field rat (Rattus colletti), and others.

[4] For instance, when ground vegetation is more dense during the wet season, these owls appear to prey more often on other birds than ground-dwelling mammals.