In K. megaceros and K. leche the backs of the pasterns are bare, an adaptation to wetland habitat. These animals are seldom found far from water and often remain in swampy tracts, where they frequent reedbeds and shrubby growth. K. megaceros and K. leche are entirely restricted to floodplains and adjacent ground. K. kob and K. vardoni inhabit moist savannah, floodplains, and the margins of adjacent light woodlands. Although it is always within reach of water, it ranges farther into woodlands than do K. kob and K. vardoni.
All species are graceful in their movements and run swiftly.
Like most antelopes, Kobus is active mainly in the morning and evening. There may be local seasonal movements in response to environmental changes. It often grazes in water up to shoulder height. Populations move back and forth in relation to the rising and falling of the annual floods, feeding on the grasses that are exposed at various times. These antelope are gregarious, sometimes being found in aggregations of many thousands.