The Cuban Pygmy Owl has brown upperparts, pale underparts, and two dark spots on the back of its head. It hunts by day as well as at night.
Its brown upperparts are barred with white, while the white underparts are streaked brown. It has two dark nape spots and a yellow iris.
It hunts in forests, woodland edges, second growth, plantations, and park-like gardens, both by day and at night. Its prey includes lizards, frogs, small birds, and insects.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.