A very small owl with small ear hair but neat. There are no gender size differences for data. The upper part is pale brownish grey with vague mottled and dark stripes, light brown or reddish brown on the upper wing cover, paler stripes on the light gray brown flight feathers and tail feathers, and a vague row of paler areas on the shoulder blades, but no prominent scapula stripes. The lower part is sandy brown to light brown grey with some darker markings. Very pale or dirty white dough plates have a very thin dark fold. The eyes are golden yellow and the corners of the mouth are dark gray. Sandy Talsi has feathers at the base of her gray-brown toes and dark horn-like tips on her claws. Undescribed juvenile. Call emits a vibrato with long kreeerrh notes, piercing, with a fairly high pitch that repeats at intervals.
Food and hunting are not well documented, but are likely to be insects and other invertebrates, and occasionally small vertebrates. It inhabits semi-desert but has palm trees and flocks of trees, including rocky areas with little vegetation. Also near human settlements.
The status and distribution of species endemic to Saudi Arabia goes to Oman. Unidentified, previously treated as a race of pale Scops owls or African Scops owls. Geographical variation; taxonomy; uncertainty; Hith-Erto is thought to be a subspecies of the pale Scops owl or the African Scops owl. DNA studies should confirm that new taxonomic status and interspecific relationships are within the genus. Monotype.
Similar species are partially homogeneous pale-tailed owls with larger face plates. Geographically separated African Scops owls are darker in color, with very pronounced white stripes on the shoulder blades and more prominent stripes on the breasts. The alien Sokotra owl may be a close relative, but much smaller.