The grey gurnard was first formally described in 1758 as Trigla gurnardus by Carl Linnaeus in the 10th edition of the Systema Naturae with the type locality given as "British seas".

[4] In 1938 the British ichthyologist Alec Frederick Fraser-Brunner classified this species within the monotypic genus Eutrigla.

The underside is cream coloured and the back and flanks are usually covered with small white spots.

[1] The grey gurnard is a common fish on sandy seabeds but it does occur infrequently on rocky substrates, as well as in mud areas from the shoreline down to 140 metres (460 ft).

It is a predatory species which feeds on crustaceans, largely shrimps and shore crabs, and small fish, such as gobies, flatfish, young Atlantic herring and sand eels.

Small individuals produce more sounds than larger ones, and emit more "grunts" than "knocks", probably because they more often compete for food by contest tactics whereas larger specimens predominantly scramble for food.