The Fearful Owl is a medium-sized owl without ear-tufts. White markings form an X across its face, and it has yellow eyes and streaked brown plumage.
It has no ear-tufts. The facial disc is dark around the eyes and rufous toward its rim; white eyebrows and lores form a prominent X. Its eyes are bright yellow, and its ochre-brown head and back have dark streaks and bars.
It uses primary lowland forest, tall secondary forest, and hill forest. The account reports possums and medium-sized birds as prey. Breeding habits are not well known, although nests have been found in large tree holes or limb cavities.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.