DEVELOPMENT

Editorial Director: Richard Easby

Creative Director: Karen Thompson

Editorial Manager: Brenna Maloney

Senior Editor: Corinne Rucker

Media Manager: Jay Sumner

Rights Clearance Specialist: Jean Cantu

Designer: Patrick Cavanagh

Production: Dreama Karnes-Bynane, Emily McKean

BUSINESS AND OPERATIONS

Operations Manager: Emily Mallozzi

Project Manager: Erin West Kephart

MARKETING

Marketing Director: James Bosley

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EDUCATION

VP, Global Education Strategy: Lina Gomez

VP, Education Programs: Kim Hulse

Digital design and development: Schuttelaar & Partners

Digital Content Platform: H5mag

PUBLISHED BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

Interim CEO & President: Mike Ulica

EVP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary: Angelo Grima

Chief Administrative Officer: Tara Bunch

Chief Scientist & SVP, Science and Exploration: Jonathan Baillie

Chief Marketing & Engagement Officer, SVP Global Strategy: Emma Carrasco

SVP, Partnerships: Leora Hanser

VP, Media Innovation: Kaitlin Yarnall

VP, International: Dave Schacht

Director, Executive HR: Yvonne Perry

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUNG EXPLORER

(ISSN 1930-8116) is published seven times during the school year — September, October, November-December, January-February, March, April, May — by National Geographic Society, 1145 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20036.

Copyright © 2018 National Geographic Society. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of the whole or any part of the contents of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUNG EXPLORER without written permission is prohibited. National Geographic, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC YOUNG EXPLORER, and the Yellow Border are trademarks of the National Geographic Society.

DIGITAL CREDITS | COVER: JOEL SARTORE/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK/THORNSIDE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA. TOC: (BACKGROUND) EDSON VANDEIRA/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE; (BIRD) JOEL SARTORE/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK/PLZEN ZOO, CZECH REPUBLIC; (MAN WITH MULE) JOHN STANMEYER/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE; (LOBSTERS) MARK CONLIN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO. WHY BIRDS MATTER: (ALL IMAGES) JOEL SARTORE/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK; (AUSTRALIAN FINCHES) PLZEN ZOO, CZECH REPUBLIC; (FLAMINGOS) LINCOLN CHILDREN’S ZOO, NEBRASKA; (FLAMINGO VIDEO) OTTER FILMS/IMAGE BANK FILM/GETTY IMAGES; (FIERY BILLED ARACARI) DALLAS WORLD AQUARIUM, TEXAS; (SUPERB PARROT) THORNESIDE, QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA; (SUPERB FAIRY WREN) HEALSVILLE SANCTUARY/ AUSTRALIA; (MALAYAN CRESTED SERPENT EAGLE) PENANG BIRD PARK, MALAYSIA; (BARE-FACED GO-AWAY-BIRD) PRIVATE COLLECTION, FRANCE; (GREAT HORNBILL VIDEOS) KOKO_TEWAN/POND5; THANKS TO ICON FILMS/PHOTOLIBRARY VIDEO/GETTY IMAGES; (RAINBOW BUNTING) PRIVATE COLLECTION, FRANCE; (EURASIAN EAGLE OWL, PURPLE HERON, RED JUNGLEFOWL, ZARUDNY’S PHEASANT) PLZEN ZOO, CZECH REPUBLIC; (CHINESE ORIOLE, GREEN BROADBILL, CUBAN TROGON) PRIVATE COLLECTION, FRANCE; (CROWNED PIGEON) KAMLA NEHRU ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN, INDIA; (SECRETARY BIRD) TORONTO ZOO, CANADA; (INDOCHINESE GREEN PEAFOWL) ANKOR CENTRE FOR CONSERVATION OF BIODIVERSITY, CAMBODIA; (GENTOO PENGUINS) OMAHA HENRY DOORLY ZOO, NEBRASKA; (KINGFISHER) PENANG BIRD PARK, MALAYSIA. OUT OF EDEN: (MAN & MULE BOTH & THREE MEN WALKING) JOHN STANMEYER/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE; (MAP) MAPPING SPECIALISTS, LTD; (SHOES INSET) JOHN STANMEYER/VII/REDUX; (SUPPLIES & MAN WITH GRASS) PAUL SALOPEK. THE MAGIC BEHIND THEIR MOVEMENT: (PENGUIN VIDEO) GALAXID/MOMENT VIDEO RF/GETTY IMAGES; (CRABS AND SHEEP VIDEOS) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE; (LOBSTERS) MARK CONLIN/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO; (SINGLE LOBSTER) PHILIP FRISKORN/NIS/MINDEN PICTURES/AGE FOTOSTOCK; (SNAKES IMAGES BOTH) NORBERT ROSING/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE; (SNAKE VIDEO) BBC UNIVERSAL/GETTY IMAGES; (SHEEP) © MICHAEL QUINTON/MINDEN PICTURES; (CRABS) © JURGEN FREUND/NATUREPL.COM; (PENGUINS) © COLIN MONTEATH/HEDGEHOG HOUSE/MINDEN PICTURES; (CRANES) © HANNE & JENS ERIKSEN/NATUREPL.COM; (CRANE VIDEO) NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CREATIVE; (EARTH) IMAGINIMA/ISTOCK/GETTY IMAGES PLUS. EXPLORER CLASSROOM: JOE GRABOWSKI. THE END: (OWL) JOEL SARTORE/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTO ARK/CENTRO RECUPERO FAUNA SELVATICA TRENTO, ITALY.