It consists of three tribes, the lories and lorikeets (Loriini), the budgerigar (Melopsittacini) and the fig parrots (Cyclopsittini), which are small birds, mostly of bright colors and inhabitants of Oceania and the islands of Southeast Asia.

The subfamily Loriinae was introduced in 1836 (as Loriana and Lorianae) by the English naturalist Prideaux John Selby in his book The Natural History of Parrots.

[1][2] Traditionally it was considered that the lories were the only members of the subfamily Loriinae, or were integrated into their own family, Loriidae,[3] but currently they are classified as a tribe, Loriini, within a larger subfamily Loriinae.

The genetic studies showed that the lories are closely related to the budgerigar and the fig parrots of the genera Cyclopsitta and Psittaculirostris,[4][5][6][7][8] that form the other two tribes that make up the subfamily, Melopsittacini and Cyclopsittini, respectively.

Loriinae is integrated as one of the five subfamilies of the family Psittaculidae, together with Psittaculinae, Platycercinae, Psittacellinae, Agapornithinae; and in turn Psittaculidae forms together with two families more the superfamily Psittacoidea.