The family is distributed through tropical southern Asia and Australasia from India east to the Philippines and south to Australia.

Some species, such as the mistletoebird of Australia, are recorded as being highly nomadic over parts of their range.

[1] They are often dull in colour, although in several species the males have brightly patterned crimson or glossy-black plumage.

[1] In the species where data has been collected they apparently form monogamous pairs for breeding, but the division of labour varies; in scarlet-breasted flowerpeckers both parents participate in all aspects of nest building, incubation and chick rearing, but in the mistletoebird the female undertakes the first two tasks alone.

Flowerpeckers lay 1–4 eggs, typically in a purse-like nest of plant fibres, suspended from a small tree or shrub.

Molecular phylogeny studies, however, suggest that some Dicaeum are closer to species traditionally in Prionochilus and that generic placements across the family may need to be revised.