[4] The specific name, boydii, is a reference to English-born John Archibald Boyd (1846–1926), who lived in Fiji from 1865 to 1882 and then on a sugar plantation at Ingham, Queensland, and collected specimens for the Australian Museum.

[5][6] The species L. boydii is restricted to rainforests and their margins in northern Queensland, Australia, from just north of Townsville to near Cooktown.

[citation needed] Boyd's forest dragon spends the majority of its time perched on the trunks of trees, usually at around head height, although daily movements can exceed 100 m (330 ft) on the ground.

The one possible exception to this general rule is gravid (pregnant) females, which are often observed sitting on or beside forest roads and exhibit elevated body temperatures.

Activity is highly seasonal, all but ceasing during the cooler months, when lizards typically move into the rainforest canopy.

[citation needed] Hatchlings, juveniles and smaller adults can often be found "sleeping" at night at the ends of tree branches with the head pointing back towards the trunk.

[citation needed] Known predators of juvenile and adult Boyd's forest dragon include grey goshawks and feral pigs.

[11] Small orange mites are commonly found on the dewlap and in the groin areas of the legs of Boyd's forest dragon.