This island owl lives in lowland forest on the Mentawai Islands. It has reddish-chestnut and dark brown plumage morphs, with pale eyebrows and ear-tufts.
It has reddish-chestnut and blackish-brown morphs. Pale ear-tufts and eyebrows have dark mottles; the upperparts are blotched and streaked, while the paler underparts have black shaft streaks and small pale spots. Its tarsi are feathered to the toes, and its eyes are dark.
It occurs in lowland rainforest and secondary growth, sometimes near or in villages, and may perch on exposed branches. It appears to feed on insects.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.