This small bat is poorly known. It frequents multistratal evergreen forests at low elevations (Eisenberg 1989). It is often found near streams and moist areas and in clearings. It co-occurs over much of its range with S. leptura, but the exact way the two species partition resources is poorly understood. It is insectivorous and forages in small openings in the forest, around camps (where it often flies through buildings), river edges and pastures (Emmons and Feer 1997). It is regularly recorded in gaps. It is an aerial insectivore that forages in background cluttered space.

This species is distributed from eastern Colombia across northern South America, including Venezuela and the Guianas, to northern Brazil and Peru (Eisenberg 1989, Koopman 1993). It typically occurs below 500 m asl in Venezuela (Handley 1976).

Retention of primary forest is the recommended conservation action. This species occurs in some protected areas, as with most New World emballonurid bats because they are usually widely distributed.