It was mainly a species of the dry lowland forests (Owadally 1979), reportedly occurred in forest dominated with Sideroxylon grandiflorum, Pandanus sp., and endemic plants (de Boer et al. 2013; Rijkdijk et al. 2009, 2011, 2015). Evidence suggests it was predominantly herbivorous (Rijsdijk et al. 2009). Evidence suggests the species likely foraged on hard seeds, fallen fruits, land snails, and possibly marine invertebrates (Hume 2017). The species was flightless (Livezey 1993) and tame (Hachisuka 1953).

Raphus cucullatus is known from numerous bones, specimen fragments, reports and paintings from Mauritius (Strickland and Melville 1848). It was last reported from an offshore islet by Iversen in 1662 (Cheke 1987), and although one analysis indicates that it is likely to have persisted until 1690 (Roberts and Solow 2004), it is generally considered that all references to "dodos" thereafter refer to Red Rail Aphanapteryx bonasia (Cheke 2006, Hume 2017).