It inhabits lowland rainforest, including primary forest and disturbed habitat (Payne 2005, Davis et al. 2018). It was found to be equally common in primary and degraded forest on New Britain (R. Davis in litt. 2021). It has been recorded up to c.1,370 m in the Nakanai mountains (Erritzøe et al. 2012), but is usually found in lowland forest up to c. 760 m (Bishop and Jones 2001). It feeds on large insects, snails and small frogs (Gillard and Lecroy 1967). It breeds from November to January.

Centropus violaceus is endemic to the islands of New Britain and New Ireland in the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea where although it is rather poorly known, it appears to be widely distributed and not uncommon in suitable habitat. 

Conservation Actions Underway
Several bird surveys have taken place on New Britain and New Ireland. No conservation measures are known to have been taken.

Conservation Actions Proposed
Carry out surveys across its range to estimate population density and gain a better estimate of its population size. Continue to monitor trends in forest loss in the region.

Identify and effectively protect a network of reserves, including some containing large areas of unlogged lowland forest and some large community-based conservation areas.