This small owlet has maroon-brown upperparts with pale spots on the head. It is recorded in montane forests of eastern DR Congo and southwestern Rwanda.
Its maroon-brown upperparts have creamy spots on the forehead, crown, and nape. The underparts are white with maroon-brown spots, and the irises are yellow.
Ecological information is limited. A specimen was found in dense forest undergrowth, and the stomach of one examined bird contained a beetle and a grasshopper.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.