The blue rock thrush is the official national bird of Malta (the word for it in Maltese being Merill) and was shown on the Lm 1 coins that were part of the country's former currency.

The blue rock thrush was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Turdus solitarius.

Monticola is from mons, montis "mountain", and colere, "to dwell", and the specific epithet solitarius means "solitary".

[9] The blue rock thrush is a starling-sized bird, 21–23 cm (8.3–9.1 in) in length with a long slim bill.

An omnivore, the blue rock thrush eats a wide variety of insects and small reptiles in addition to berries and seeds.