They occur in humid forest, woodland and shrub at elevations of 1000 to 4800 meters above sea level in the Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Venezuela.

The most striking feature of both sexes in the genus Eriocnemis are their dense snow-white leg-puffs which consist of feather tufts that resemble woolly panties.

Most have a contrasting blue, purple or coppery-red vent, but this is green in the black-thighed and emerald-bellied puffleg.

Further common features of all species are the straight black bill and the slightly to deeply forked tail.

The genus name was coined by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach who called them Snowy panties.