Skippers are small to medium-sized insects that are distinguished from other butterflies by the combination of three pairs of legs that are all functional for walking and 12 wing veins unbranched from the base to the outer margin of the wing. Skippers are also characterized by having a stout, moth-like thorax and abdomen. Some species have a hook-like antenna tip. Most Hesperiidae larvae construct shelters in webbed or folded leaves; they feed on a variety of flowering plants.

The Hesperiidae is currently divided into five subfamilies, but the higher relationships are not completely understood and some of these subfamilies are likely paraphyletic. More than 3 400 species are known worldwide, with the greatest diversity occurring in the tropics. Approximately 300 species are known from North America; 31 species are known from AB.