Most of the adults in this family are nocturnal or crepuscular though some are diurnal. Colours comprise a wide range, being some individuals so showy that they are confused with butterflies. Others, have brown or green colouring blending into the environment.

Golden-billed saltator Saltator aurantiirostris

Hepatic tanager Piranga flava

Nevertheless, the caterpillars are more known for their funny way of moving due to the arrangement of the legs, or best said the lack of legs. They have legs only on both ends of the body. So, to make a step they grasp with their thoracic legs (forelegs) and move the abdominal legs (front legs) beside the thoracic ones arching their body. Once together, the thoracic legs go loose, the body is straightened and moves forward to grasp again. So it is time to repeat the cycle by moving the abdominal legs near the thoracic ones. In this way they form a looping movement.
Colours are also varied as well to blend into the vegetation or the flowers they feed on.
Another behaviour of these caterpillars is to drop from a branch through a silk thread in case of alarm. They either stay suspended in the air or reach the ground. Once the threaten has passed they go up the thread to their initial position.

Masked gnatcatcher Polioptila dumicola