[2] The species is named after Reverend Henry Baker Tristram, who collected natural history specimens.

[3] This bird is found in deserts in Israel, Jordan, northeastern Egypt (Sinai Peninsula), (NEOM) ([Magna]) , western Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman, nesting mainly on rocky cliff faces.

The species is becoming increasingly commensal with humans, feeding in towns and villages; this has enabled a recent northward spread in its distribution.

[6] Tristram's starlings are omnivorous, feeding on fruit and invertebrates (mainly insects such as beetles, flies, butterflies, and bees; but also small snails[7]).

[2] Although they do not migrate for the most part,[8] they fly relatively long distances compared to other resident birds, which likely makes them important seed dispersers for fleshy-fruited desert plants.