It inhabits open, dry, subtropical evergreen (mainly oak), coniferous (chiefly pine) or mixed conifer-broadleaf forests on steep, often rocky hillsides interrupted by scrub and grassy clearings. It appears to favour broken or successional habitats, with adjacent patches of dense forest, and fire may play an important role (G. Gale in litt. 2005). Although in Ailaoshan Nature Reserve the species prefers broadleaved evergreen forest (Liu Zhao et al. (2008). It is also described as inhabiting secondary and degraded jungle, and frequents the edges of abandoned slash-and-burn cultivation (Choudhury 2009). On Dazhong Mountain,Yunnan, the species' foraging habitats have been shown to be very similar in spring and autumn (Wei Zhou et al. 2010). Roosts are often located along ridges, and in other relatively open areas (Iamsiri and Gale 2004). The species has been observed to feed on oak nuts and termites (Iamsiri and Gale 2004). A recent microscopic analysis of faecal samples collected in Dazhongshan Nature Reserve, Yunnan, found the species' winter diet there to include at least 18 plant species of 12 families, with a clear preference for Athyrium guangnanense and Pseudocystopteris spinulosa (Li Ning et al. 2008).

Syrmaticus humiae occurs in Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and perhaps Arunachal Pradesh (Choudhury 2005, 2009) in north-east India, through west, north and east Myanmar to Yunnan and Guangxi in south China and adjacent north-west Thailand.

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendix I. The species is legally protected in India, Thailand, Myanmar and China. Populations persist in several protected areas, but these have very low coverage of total suitable habitat (see review by Savini et al. 2021).

Conservation Actions Proposed
Survey sites throughout its range to determine both presence/absence, and (where relevant) density. In particular, re-surveying sites covered by previous effort, e.g., Choudhury (2009), would be a reliable indicator of population trend. Increasing the area of this species' range circumscribed by protected areas is a priority, as is ensuring existing protected areas are sufficiently resourced to safeguard this species (and others) from habitat loss and hunting. Choudhury (2009) recommended that awareness campaigns amongst rural communities are carried out.