This species has been recorded flying above the mid-montane forest canopy, and over open habitats including urban areas (Flannery 1995, Bonaccorso 1998). Roosting habits of this species are unknown, but it is assumed to roost in large tree hollows, similar to that used by Chaerephon jobensis.

This species has only been recorded in Papua New Guinea, and from only three locations: Tapu, on the Upper Ramu River Plateau, Madang Province (four specimens collected); Kimi Creek Camp, Eastern Highlands Province (one specimen collected); and Hohola, Port Moresby (one specimen collected) (Flannery 1995, Bonaccorso 1998). It has been recorded from sea level to 1,980 m asl.
More recent unconfirmed records of an Otomops species have come from echolocation call recordings made as part of several biodiversity surveys in Hela, Gulf, Southern Highlands, Western and Madang provinces (K.N. Armstrong unpublished data), suggesting a relatively wide distribution up to mid-elevations. None of these recordings is associated with a captured specimen. It is possible that only calls recorded on the northern side of the central cordillera are from O. secundus.

Populations of this species can be maintained through the preservation of primary and secondary forest habitat. Further survey work with appropriate trapping methods for high flying bat species is needed to better establish distribution limits.