Habitat preferences for this species vary in different parts of its geographic range. In France, it is found in damp areas with dense vegetation, whereas in central Europe and Italy it prefers open agricultural landscapes. At the northern edge of its range, it is associated with gardens and houses in suburban and urban areas, and in the Balkans and Anatolia it can be found in moist habitats in the mountains including screes, stony areas, riverbanks and stone walls. It is also present in forests (Kryštufek 2009). In Russia, the species occurs in moist habitats within steppe and semi-desert areas. It feeds on invertebrates, including insects, insect larvae and worms.

The Bicolored Shrew (Crocidura leucodon) ranges from northwestern France, Switzerland, Italy and Slovenia, through the Balkan peninsula, and extends south to Türkiye and east into Ukraine. It is now considered probably extinct in eastern areas of Ukraine, though still present in bordering areas of Russia (A. Mishta pers. comm. 2023; see the Atlas of Russian Mammals http://rusmam.ru/). It is absent from the Iberian peninsula and southwestern France. It has been recorded from sea level to approximately 2,200 m Asl.

Outside of Europe, it occurs in the Caucasus region and western Asia, through Israel and east to Iran.

It is protected under Appendix III of the Bern Convention, and it occurs within protected areas. It is listed as Near Threatened on National Red Lists of France (UICN France et al. 2017) and Germany (Klesser et al. 2021). However, populations may have grown in other regions recently. Research to monitor abundance and distribution, and drivers of potential population threats and/or growth, would be beneficial for future assessments.