This scops owl occurs in western and southern Madagascar. ITIS, following the IOC treatment, lists it as a species, while Cornell Clements 2025 treats it as a subspecies of the Madagascar Scops Owl Otus rutilus. This entry is limited to the western taxon.
The common grey morph is pale brown-grey with dark streaks on the upperparts and a white shoulder stripe. The pale grey underparts have dark streaks and white bars, and the bird has small ear tufts.
A 2007 observation at Berenty Reserve recorded an adult incubating four white eggs in a shallow ground depression cleared of leaf litter. No nesting material was present, and the hatching outcome was not reported.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.