Its members occur in forests and woodlands of the Americas, ranging from southeastern Arizona to northern Argentina.

They have large eyes, stout hooked bills, short wings, and long, squared-off, strongly graduated tails; black and white tail-feather markings form distinctive patterns on the underside.

[3][4] The name of the genus is from the Ancient Greek τρωγων trōgōn for "fruit-eating" or "gnawing".

It is based on a molecular phylogenetic study by Jeffrey Dacosta and John Klicka that was published in 2008.

In Clade C males are blue- or black-headed and have white or contrasting black-and-white undertail patterns.