Silver-haired bats prefer temperate forests, northern hardwoods with ponds or streams nearby. The typical day roost for the bat is behind loose tree bark. These bats appear to be particularly fond of willow, maple and ash trees (most likely due to the deeply fissured bark). Hollow snags and bird nests also provide daytime roosting areas for silver-haired bats. Less common daytime roosts include buildings, such as open sheds and garages; however, due to their solitary nature and adaptation to woodland roosts, these bats rarely invade buildings in large enough numbers to cause alarm. During the winter months, silver-haired bats that hibernate find shelter in northern areas inside trees, buildings, rock crevices, and similar protected structures (Kunz 1982, Wilson and Ruff 1999).
Silver-haired bats are insectivorous. Their diet mainly consists of flies, beetles, and moths. However, these bats feed opportunistically on any concentration of insects they come across. They have a short-range foraging strategy, traveling over woodland ponds and streams. Silver-haired bats do not always feed in mid-flight; they have been caught in mouse traps, suggesting ground foraging, and they have been reported to consume larvae on trees (Kunz 1982). Silver-haired bats have been reported to be one of the earliest fliers in the evening, sometimes appearing in broad daylight. However, other sources claim that these bats show nightly foraging activity, with one peak of activity before midnight and another before sunrise. The flying time of silver-haired bats is believed to be adjusted by the bat so that it will not conflict with the flying times of the red, hoary, or big brown bats (Kunz 1982, Wilson and Ruff 1999).During the summer, the bats are believed to segregate by sex. During late summer and autumn, however, silver-haired bats join in groups containing both sexes to migrate to the southern parts of their range (Van Gelder and Wingate 1961). Some individuals are also known to hibernate in the northern locations (Kunz 1982). Courtship and mating of silver-haired bats occurs in autumn when both sexes congregate for migration. Fertilization is delayed until the next spring. Births occur after a gestation period of 50 to 60 days. Two young are produced, usually between late June and early July (Kunz 1982).

The Silver-haired Bat occurs throughout most of the contiguous southern Canada and USA (including SE Alaska, and except extreme southern parts), also in NE Mexico, and Bermuda (Wilson and Ruff 1999, Simmons 2005).

This bat is found in several protected areas throughout its geographic distribution. It is necessary to understand and assess the potential impact of habitat changes resulting from extensive deforestation and forest management practices. In Mexico, this species is listed as subject to special protection under NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2001 (J. Arroyo-Cabrales, pers. comm.).