18, see text Lesbiini is one of the two tribes that make up the subfamily Lesbiinae in the hummingbird family Trochilidae.

[2][3] A molecular phylogenetic study of the hummingbirds published in 2007 found that the family was composed of nine major clades.

[4] When Edward Dickinson and James Van Remsen, Jr. updated the Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World for the 4th edition in 2013 they based their classification on these results and placed two of the nine clades in a new subfamily Lesbiinae.

[5][6] Molecular phylogenetic studies by Jimmy McGuire and collaborators published between 2007 and 2014 determined the relationships between the major groups of hummingbirds.

[9] Florisuginae – topazes Phaethornithinae – hermits Polytminae – mangoes Heliantheini – brilliants Lesbiini – coquettes Patagoninae – giant hummingbird Lampornithini – mountain gems Mellisugini – bees Trochilini – emeralds The 2014 study also determined the relationships between the genera within the Lesbiini.