[3] They have been recorded in Angola, Republic of the Congo, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Malawi.

They have lower wing loading which increases their ability to lift and move quickly and easily.

[6] Swinny’s horseshoe bats are largely found in montane forest and savanna woodlands.

[3] Like most nocturnal bats, R. swinnyi reside in dark areas of caves and old mining sites.

They roost during broad daylight hanging from the ceiling, individually or in pairs dispersed throughout their sheltered area.

Whitaker and Black studied the stomach contents of bats from the family Rhinolophidae and discovered that R. swinnyi fed almost exclusively on mature Lepidoptera.

[9] Swinny's horseshoe bats are threatened by agriculture, extraction of timber, firewood, degradation of forest habitats, and human settlement.

[2][8] The IUCN Red List categorizes the status of Rhinolophus swinnyi as least concern, meaning the current population trend is stable and there is no risk of the species going extinct.