[2] The European stonechat was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1766 in the twelfth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Motacilla rubicola.

A 2002 study using mtDNA cytochrome b sequences and nuclear DNA microsatellite fingerprinting evidence strongly supported their separation into distinct species.

[8] Two weakly defined subspecies are currently recognised:[5][7] The stonechat is 11.5–13 cm (4.5–5.1 in) long and weighs 13–17 g (0.46–0.60 oz), slightly smaller than the European robin.

They intergrade broadly where their ranges meet, from southeastern England[10] south through France and Spain, and many individuals are not identifiable to subspecies.

Extreme examples of S. r. rubicola from the driest southern areas of its range such as the Algarve and Sicily are particularly pale and with a large white rump, and can be very similar to Siberian stonechats in appearance.

European stonechats breed in heathland, coastal dunes and rough grassland with scattered small shrubs and bramble, open gorse, tussocks or heather.

The clutch is typically 4–6 eggs, which are pale blue to greenish-blue with red-brown freckles that are more numerous at the larger end.