Daily Archives: November 27, 2009

Tristram’s Grackle at Masada

Tristram's Grackle at Masada. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Tristram's Grackle at Masada. Photo by Ferrell Jenkins.

Henry B. Tristram wrote The Natural History of the Bible in 1868. In 1884 he wrote Fauna and Flora of Palestine. I have not personally used his books, but I have seen numerous quotations from them in sources describing the plants, animals, and birds of Palestine.

A bird commonly seen at Masada, along the shore of the Dead Sea, is named for Tristram. This black bird with some distinctive orange feathers is known as Tristram’s Grackle, or Tristram’s Starling.