It is found in forests from northern Bangladesh, northeast India, eastern Nepal, Bhutan, southern China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, West Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and western Indonesia (Java, Sumatra, Bali and nearby small islands).

The back, top of the head, ears and bushy tail are deep brown to black and the underparts are light buff-coloured.

In Sumatra, Java and Bali the hairs of the back and tail are light-tipped, making these sections appear relatively pale (however, the upperparts, especially the thighs and shoulders, are still distinctly darker than the underparts).

[1] In the tropical rainforest of the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia, R. bicolor is not as abundant as elsewhere in its range, which is probably due to competition from other arboreal species (especially primates) for food in the upper forest canopy.

A recent study from India showed precipitation during the wettest month of a year is one of the major contributing factor for habitat preference of R. bicolor, along with land use, and vegetation.