A medium to rather large owl without ear hair. Females may be larger than males, although they do not have weight. The upper feathers are mottled and squirming, with reddish-brown, black, white, and light brown, and the collar white and black are mixed with a coffee-brown color (which appears to have obvious dark spots). There are light and dark distinctions between flight and tail feathers. The chestnut and black throats are embellished with white accents, and the lower part is slightly black on a white background, interspersed with gold to orange brown. The white face disc has fine stripes and a concentrated black-brown color. The eyes are dark brown, the eyelids are dark pink or dull coral-red, and the beak is black. The feathered tarsal line and toes are pale reddish light brown, the soles of the feet are yellow, and the claws are black. Juvenile guides have a whiter crown than adults , with a white neck , cape , and wings with faint black stripes. In flight, if disturbed, it can fly for a long time without any noticeable discomfort even in bright sunlight, settling down again in a place shaded by leaves.
During the breeding season, one hears a loud, trembling, hollow chuhuahua ear song. In other seasons, such calls include single metallic sounds and occasional screams. Food and hunting feed mainly on rats, rats, other rodents, lizards, crabs and birds; In addition, it takes scorpions and large insects. The habitat inhabits open woodlands and sparsely wooded plains, often on the outskirts of villages and plantations.
Distribution in the Indian subcontinent from the east to the north and east, south to Pakistan and south to the southern hemisphere. India and western Myanmar. Although common in the local area, it has not been well studied. Geographical variation is known to have three subspecies: nominated ocellata is distributed in Central, South India and Bengal-Desch; Grandis from the Kathiawar Peninsula (Gujarat) in northwestern India, larger and grayer on top; Grisescens, produced in northern India and southern Himalayas in Pakistan, south to Rajasthan and east to Myanmar, Bihar, is paler and larger than nominated.
Similar species, the xenomorph spotted wood owl does not have deep concentric stripes on its flat orange pale yellow face plate. Some of the same domain brown wood owls are more pale yellow underneath, with a yellowish-brown face, black folds and distinct black rings around the eyes.