This owl occurs widely in humid forests of western and central Africa. It appears more often near forest edges than in the deepest old forest and takes small animals and invertebrates.
It has strong ear tufts and a rufous facial disc. The buff-brown upperparts and pale underparts are barred with dark brown. The eastern African subspecies vosseleri is larger, browner above, and has yellow to orange-brown eyes.
It occupies humid forest and is reported more often near edges than in the deepest forest. Its food includes small mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.