They live on Siau Island, north of Sulawesi, Indonesia and are (were) forest dwellers.

The species is only known from a single holotype from 1866 although there have been more recent potential sightings, including one in 2017.

[4] Nonetheless, their already small, relatively barren habitat is being lost to excessive logging of the little forest present on the island and there are assumed to be very few individuals left, if any.

[5] On December 14, 2017, a video of a purported Siau Scops-Owl trapped in a building was uploaded to YouTube (see external links).

Although it has been the subject of debate, the scientific community has not been able to confirm the bird's identification.