Ben-Zion's fascination with ancient visual and literary traditions can be seen in Strange Bird. The crescent moon and the star, recurring motifs in his nocturnal paintings, were inspired by ancient Mesopotamian imagery, such as a Sumerian seal with an incised star that the artist carried in his pocket. In his Hebrew poetry, Ben-Zion wrote about the mysterious and magical quality of the night with its moon, stars, strange birds, and beasts-the world of dreams and imagination.