The Mottled Owl is a medium-sized owl with brown eyes and vertical streaks on its chest and throat. It is active at night and hunts insects and small animals from perches along forest edges. Its native range extends from Mexico through Central and South America.
It is mostly dark, with lighter brown markings on the face. The vertical streaks on the chest and throat are more noticeable than the markings on the back, and its thick feathers make it look larger than it is.
It is solitary and strictly nocturnal. From perches along forest edges it hunts beetles and grasshoppers as well as small mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.