This species can be found in evergreen forest and opening on the Caribbean Slope, especially at middle elevations. It occasionally is recorded in deciduous forest (Reid 2009). It roosts in small caves and culverts. Pollen, fruit and insects are taken in addition to nectar (Gardner 1977). In Costa Rica, birth peaks occur in the dry season, February to April, and in the wet season, August to November (Wilson 1979). In Mexico it has been recorded at selva mediana (cities forest) (Coates-Estrada and Estrada 1986). It is also been reported in template forest (Alvarez-Castaneda and Alvarez 1991) and tropical moist montane forest (Emmons and Feer 1997). Its distribution does not show important habitat reduction (Cuaron and de Grammont pers. comm.).

This species is known from west Panama to Nayarit and Veracruz (Mexico) (Simmons 2005). It occurs from lowlands to 2,600 m (Reid 2009). It is documented from Panama, Costa Rica and Nicaragua (McCarthy et al. 1993), and more recently from Honduras (Merida C. and Cruz 2014).

Found in several protected areas through its geographic distribution, including national parks and forest reserves.