Colubridae is a very broad assemblage of snakes that includes about seventy percent of all snake species on earth and classically has been a place for various snakes that do not fit anywhere else. For such reasons, generalizations are difficult to apply. Colubrids include members that are aquatic, terrestrial, fossorial (living underground), and arboreal (spending large amounts of time in trees or bushes). Colubrid species are found in the wild worldwide with the exception of Antarctica, central and western Australia, and high latitudes of North America and Eurasia.

In addition to advancing their own individual functions (reproduction, survival), colubrids as a group provide important function for the ecosystem and for humans. (See bi-level functionality.) Ecologically, they help in the control of prey populations, such as mice, rats, lizards, frogs, and so forth. Likewise, they also serve as food for various animals, such as birds of prey, crocodiles, mammals, and so forth. For humans, many species, such as the cornsnakes and kingsnakes, are popular in the pet trade, and snakes also are used to make leather, such as the Asian ratsnakes. They also provide food for humans and for farm-raised crocodiles.

A number of colubrid species are classified as Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable, and Threatened. On the other hand, introduced snakes have cause problems for native fauna, such as the brown treesnake in Guam, which has decimated lizards and birds.