[1] It was described by the English entomologist William Kirby in 1802; he named it in honour of the ornithologist Francis Willughby.

[1][2] Megachile willughbiella is a leafcutter bee found in gardens and brownfield areas especially in cities.

The species has kleptoparasites from the leafcutting cuckoo bee genus Coelioxys, such as C. quadridentata, C. rufescens and C. elongata.

Pollen is collected from a wide variety of flowers including Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Onagraceae, with a preference for Campanulaceae (bellflowers).

[3] The species is widely spread across western Europe between Finland, Lithuania and Spain, including Britain and Ireland.