The European serin was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in the 12th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Fringilla serinus.

[4] The European serin is a small short-tailed bird, 11–12 cm in length.

The upper parts are dark-streaked greyish green, with a yellow rump.

The song of this bird is a buzzing trill, very familiar in Mediterranean countries.

Southern and Atlantic coast populations are largely resident, but the northern breeders migrate further south in Europe for the winter.