The Red-chested Owlet is a small owl without ear-tufts. It lives in forest and along forest edges and feeds chiefly on invertebrates.
It has no ear-tufts. In much of its range the upperparts are dusky grey-brown, the head is grey, and the chest and upper flanks are rusty-orange. The eyes and cere are yellow.
It uses forest, forest edges, and mosaics of forest and scrub. Its food consists chiefly of invertebrates; small mammals and birds are taken less often.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.