[4] It is a semifossorial, highly active, and voracious insectivore and is present in a variety of habitats like broadleaved and pine forests among shrubs and hedges as well as grassy river banks.

[5] The shrew molts from a summer coat which is shorter and paler than the winter pelage in October and November, and back again sometime in February through July.

[8] Another source indicates the earliest record of the genus Blarina is a specimen of B. b. talpoides, from the Blancan (early Pleistocene) in Kansas.

[3] This shrew is found throughout central and eastern North America, from southern Saskatchewan to Atlantic Canada and south to northern Arkansas and Georgia.

[15][16] "Researchers at an Auburn University lab collected" the shrew, according to a news report, "that was found with a new species of henipavirus named after the Alabama town where the specimen came from".

[4][5] Its ability to consume almost anything it can catch allows the northern short-tailed shrew to survive the cold winters of temperate regions.

Food consumption is 43% higher in winter than in summer,[3] as the shrew must increase its metabolic rate to maintain its body temperature under the cold conditions.

[18] This seasonal pattern was due to solar radiation and changing daily temperatures, and it allows the shrews to minimize the energy needed for thermoregulation.

[18] Other winter adaptations include the creation of a lined nest which aids the shrew in conserving heat, the caching of food in case of prey shortages, foraging below the leaf litter or snow where the temperature is milder, and decreasing activity levels during cold periods.

[19] Along with these behavioral adaptations, the northern short-tailed shrew increases its ability to generate body heat during the winter by nonshivering thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue.

[3] The shrew constructs a nest up to 20 cm (8 in) in diameter underground or underneath a log, and lines it with leaves or the fur of the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus).

[5] Typically solitary,[4] B. brevicauda exhibits several aggressive displays and vocalizations to ward off other members of the species when encounters occur.

[3] The northern short-tailed shrew has a high mortality rate, though it attempts to escape predation by remaining hidden under vegetation, soil, leaf litter, or snow;[4] only 6% of a marked group of shrews survived to the next year,[5] and winter mortality of 90% has been recorded, probably due to cold stress.

[5] The northern short-tailed shrew is considered a species of least concern in the IUCN Red List, as it is widespread, abundant, and its population is not declining.