It was described by the German entomologist Philipp Christoph Zeller in 1850, from specimens found in Florence, Leghorn and Pisa.

Forewings are rather dark fuscous, purplish-tinged, towards dorsum and costa more blackish numerous costal streaks, a spot in disc posteriorly, and two or three dorsal spots white; a black apical dot, strongly white edged anteriorly; cilia with three entire dark fuscous lines.

The genus Ornix originally included a wide range of feathery-winged microlepidoptera in the Coleophoridae and the Gracillariidae.

Ornix was an early synonym of the genus Coleophora as a number of moths were name after birds.

The specific name torquillella comes from torquis – a collar, ″from the prothoracic plate of the larva, which consists of four transversely placed black spots.