The head is chocolate brown with an orangish-buff facial disc and, in the nominate subspecies, a yellowish throat band, but there are no ear-tufts.

The upper parts are coffee-coloured, with white bars and spots edged with black.

The underparts are dull yellow with broad white and narrow black bars.

Typical habitats include lowland forest, mangrove swamps, cleared woodland, plantations, and parks in towns and villages.

[3] The diet of this owl consists mainly of mice and rats, supplemented by insects and small birds.