By Joseph.B

It has a maximum average temperature of 29

And minimum average temperature of 14

And a average mean temp of 23

It has less than 200ml a year of rain

Most of the desert is covered in gibber

Gibber is a landscape with bits of rock

coming out everywhere

that’s why it’s called Sturt Stony Desert

The Birdsville track runs through the desert

Scientific name is Atriplex Nummularia

It has a large double root system

It is commonly used for cooking

It grows up to 3 meters in height and 4.5

meters wide

it has silvery , succulent almost circular

leaves

Scientific name Swainsona Formosa

It has silky , greyish green , pinnate

leaves(leaves on either side of the stem)

Long, brilliant red with black spot pea

flowers in clusters

Floral emblem of South Australia

It has a large taproot and they have a hard

seed coat

It is a sooty black colour with pale brown

wings

They are 85 - 105 cm long and 185 - 230 cm

in wingspan

They feed mostly at sunset and sunrise

They eat rats, rabbits , small reptiles and

small birds

It is 16.5 to 18 cm long with a 13 to 14 cm

tail

they eat insects, spiders and sometimes

small lizards

It breeds in winter

It is a ashy gray colour

They have a life span of 3 – 6 yrs