National Geographic Kids (UK) Issue 236

Hey Kids! This month we head over to the Amazon to meet four Nat Geo Explorers who tell us about the amazing animals they're protecting – turn to page 10 to begin your South American adventure! On page 20, we check out some brilliantly bizarre bird behaviour and then reveal the science behind beautiful auroras on page 40 – have YOU seen the Northern Lights in the sky?! Also this issue, we check out the strange star-nosed mole and learn about the life of John Logie Baird, inventor of the TV! Hope you enjoy the hilarious Comedy Wildlife posters and tricky puzzles, too! See you next month! Editor Tim and the Nat Geo Kids team…

'Extinct' bird returns! Six siheks (say “sea-hecks”) have returned to the wild on Palmyra Atoll, an island in the Pacific Ocean, after being extinct in nature for over 35 years! Also known as Guam kingfishers, the birds died out in 1988 after they were decimated by brown tree snakes, an introduced predator. But a few were rescued by conservationists, who hoped to boost their numbers and eventually release them. Thanks to this hard work, six healthy, young siheks, hand-raised in Sedgewick County Zoo, USA, were released in September and are now flying free! Experts will monitor the birds in their new home, which is a protected nature reserve, and it’s hoped the siheks will soon be able to return to their native island, Guam, too. Great! Scuba-diving lizard! Meet the…

1 Also called yelloweyed penguins, hoiho scramble around the eastern coastal forests of New Zealand’s South Island. Despite their noisy name (‘hoiho’ means ‘noise shouter’ in the Māori language), they’re shy birds who hide their nests out of sight. 2 As well as their loud, shrill call, these penguins can be recognised by their strong, fishy smell and yellow eyes. Swimming up to 25km from shore to forage, they mostly gobble down fi sh, molluscs and crustaceans. 3 Fewer than 3,000 hoiho remain in the wild today because they’re threatened by disease, introduced predators, disturbance and fishing. But experts are working to protect hoiho habitat and keep predators out, so it’s hoped their numbers will increase. The New Zealand Bird of the Year contest was set up to raise awareness…

Christmas Jumper Day has raised over £37m since it began in 2012. Wow! On 12 December, millions of people across the country will don their silliest sweaters to raise money for Save the Children. Fancy joining the party?! All you have to do is wear your fave festive jumper and donate £1 to the charity, which will help kids facing serious issues like war, hunger and poverty. You can take part on your own, with your whole class or even school! Don’t have a Christmas jumper? Don’t worry! You could decorate an old sweater with tinsel and baubles, grab a second-hand one from a charity shop, or swap with a friend. ● Ask an adult or teacher to sign up for Christmas Jumper Day online!…

NOV 30 St. Andrew's Day A special day for Scotland! DEC 4 International Cheetah Day Three cheers for the speedy cats! DEC 5 World Soil Day Celebrate the stuff beneath your feet! DEC 11 International Mountain Day Visit your nearest peak! DEC 21 World Basketball Day Shoot some hoops today!…

Delivery duck! Meet Christian Navarro Lacson and Kwak Kwak, the duck! The takeaway delivery rider and his, er, wing-man, are inseparable as they race around Manila in the Philippines, Southeast Asia, dropping offfood to hungry customers. Kwak Kwak even waddles alongside Christian in shopping malls and restaurants. Quackers! Water bed! Fancy a dip before bedtime? Then check out this splashing hotel room! Visitors to the DeepSpot diving pool in Mszczonów, Poland, can explore underwater ‘caves’ and sunken boats in the 45m-deep pool. Then, after returning to their room, they can drift off to sleep, peering through the window into the pool. Wow! Can't stop doodling! Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, is on a mission: to doodle over the entire planet! “I’ve loved doodling since I was a kid,” he says. “It’s…