Hawkfishes are bottom-dwelling fishes of coral reefs or rocks. Majority of them are found in shallow water. They often use their thickened lower pectoral-fin rays to wedge themselves in position in areas subject to surge, lying motionless, waiting for unsuspecting prey to cross their paths. They mainly feed on small crustaceans and fishes.
The family consists of 10 genera and 38 species, 33 of which occur in the Indo-Pacific region and 22 species are found in the Western Central Pacific.