It appears to be a sedentary resident of lowland forest, sometimes, possibly often, near watercourses, generally below 650 m but recorded to c. 1,025 m on Luzon, and c. 1,170 m on Mindanao. It tolerates disturbed, selectively logged and secondary forest and even coconut plantations with patches of thick secondary growth (Allen 2020). Studies of the species' pellets suggest it feeds on rodents and amphibians (D. Allen in litt. 2012). Incubation lasts 35-37 days, fledging 59-60 days (T. Warburton in litt. 2016).

This species is endemic to the Philippines, where it is known from Luzon, Catanduanes, Samar, Leyte, Bohol and Mindanao.

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix II. Occurs in several protected areas across its range. It is the flagship species of the Philippine Owl Conservation Programme, and a conservation breeding programme was developed at the Biodiversity Conservation Center, Bacolod, Negros (T. Warburton in litt. 2016).

Conservation Actions Proposed
Conduct further fieldwork using playback, to establish its current distribution and status, particularly on Mindanao where it appears to be unduly scarce. Propose and designate further key sites as formal protected areas.