A common resident of open habitats including farmland and human habitation, it has adapted to living in cities.

They roost in small groups in the hollows of trees or in cavities in rocks and buildings.

The spotted owlet is a small and stocky bird, barely 21 cm (8.3 in) in size.

[3] Early workers sometimes treated members of this species group as subspecies of Athene noctua.

Several subspecies have been described and about four or five are widely accepted (the race poikila[4] is invalid and refers to Aegolius funereus;[5] A. b. fryi of southern India described by Stuart Baker and A. b. mayri described by Deignan from northern Thailand[6] are not usually recognized.

)[7] The five widely recognized subspecies are albida Koelz, 1950 of western Asia in Iran and Pakistan; indica (Franklin, 1831) of northern India; brama (Temminck, 1821) of southern India which is darker than indica; ultra Ripley, 1948 (not always recognized) of northeastern India is said to have white spots on the mantle and "higher pitched calls"; and pulchra Hume, 1873 of Southeast Asia from Myanmar and Thailand extending into Cambodia and Vietnam.

[10] Their presence can often be located by the small birds that mob the owlets while they are perching in a tree during daytime.The call is a harsh and loud churring and chuckling chirurr-chirurr-chirurr ending with a chirwak-chirwak and they call mainly during early dawn or just after sunset.

[22] Nests near human habitations may show higher breeding success due to the increased availability of rodents for feeding young.

[3] Courtship behaviour includes bill grasping, allopreening and ritual feeding.

[34] The species name brama is from the French name Chouette brame and indirectly refers to this owl's Indian habitat by way of homage to Brahma, the Hindu supreme spirit.