The Howi Smoothie
Meet Howi, the Black Vulture
Howi is a black vulture residing at the Birds of Prey Program exhibit at Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. Rollin’ Oats is Howi’s enclosure sponsor and a sponsor of Raptor Fest.
About Howi
Arrival: 2013
Name origin: Retired Boyd Hill Foreman, Howard, who found her injured at the Preserve.
Howi’s Rescue Story: Howi was rescued on the property with a broken wing. Veterinarians determined that the break had already started healing poorly and could not be corrected.
From October 3rd through November 2nd, you can order “The Howi Smoothie” at Rollin’ Oats Cafe in St. Pete*. $1 of each smoothie sold will be donated to Friends of Boyd Hill Nature Preserve. The Howi Smoothie is made with passion fruit, bananas, orange juice, carrot juice, vanilla coconut milk, Garden of Life collagen, and a spirulina coco whip swirl.
Visit Boyd Hill Nature Preserve at 1101 Country Club Way S, St. Petersburg, FL 33705 and learn more about Friends of Boyd Hill Nature Preserve here.
The Life of a Vulture
Did you know that Howi is a bit of a showgirl herself? She loves basking in the light!
If you visit the aviary on a sunny day, you may find Howi basking in the sun with wings out stretched. This position is called the horaltic pose, which is used by a variety of bird species. While this sun bathing behavior helps birds warm up or dry out, there is new research that suggests it also helps them remove pesky parasites. By spreading their wings, they increase the surface area exposed to the sun, and raise the temperature of their body, creating an environment hot enough to kill lice and unhatched eggs.
*The Howi Smoothie is exclusively available at our St. Pete cafe location only.