Individuals occur in a wide variety of habitats, from forests, woodlands, farmlands, orchards and suburban gardens to sparsely treed semi-arid scrub and borders of treeless plains (Weaving et al. 2011, Fulton et al. 2020). They roost by day in thick foliage or tree hollows, rarely in caves, singly, or in pairs or family groups and feed on insects, small mammals and other small animal species. They usually nest in tree hollows and lay 2–3 eggs (Higgins 1999).

The species comprises seven subspecies in Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Australia: N. b. moae and cinnamomina on the Lesser Sundas, remigalis on the Kai Islands, pusilla on southern New Guinea, and ocellata, boobook and lurida occurring across much of Australia.