This species is fairly reliant on good primary tropical moist forest. It roosts singly, in trees (where it appears like a leaf when roosting). It is primarily frugivorous, but may also take insects. Of the four females collected on Sanana in mid-November by Flannery (1995), two were found to be pregnant.

This species has been recorded from the islands of Sulawesi, Seram, Mangole, Sanana, Buru, Ambon, and Tanimbar (all Indonesia), and from the island of Timor (Timor-Leste and Indonesia) though it may no longer be present here (K. Helgen pers. comm.). Records from Moa Island, Queensland, Australia probably refer to Nyctimene robinsoni. Mainland New Guinea records are possibly misidentifications of N. robinsoni, and are marked on the map as possible range of N. robinsoni. A record from Numfoor Island, Indonesia, represents a separate, undescribed Geelvinck Bay bat taxon (K. Helgen pers. comm.). This species ranges from sea level to at least 1,800 m asl.

It is present in some protected areas in Indonesia (e.g., Lore Lindu, Bogani Nani Wartabone, Manusela). Records from Moa Island, Queensland, Australia and New Guinea need further identification and/or taxonomic work and are currently treated as N. robinsoni.