This species is common in large parts of Europe, and lives in bushes, edges of forests, and meadows.
They hunt for small insects.
They are very cold-resistant, and can be seen crawling on the snow in winter.
Cantharis fusca can easily be confused with Cantharis obscura and Cantharis paradoxa.
The main difference is that Cantharis fusca's first segments of the antennae are yellow/reddish (clearly shown on the photo's) while the first segments of the antennae of Cantharis obscura and Cantharis paradoxa are black above and yellow below.

Top & Left:: Oostvaardersplassen, The Netherlands, 11 May 2017
Middle: Sallandse Heuvelrug National Park, The Netherlands, 7 May 2020