durhamregion.com The Citizen August 21, 2014 11 From page 1 Representatives from the Ontario Specialized Species Centre brought four species of birds of prey -- a snowy owl, a great horned owl, a Swainson's hawk and a peregrine falcon -- to the Brooklin branch of the Whitby Public Library on Aug. 6. "It was cool how they brought actual birds in and we got to pet them," said Alison, adding she was fascinating by the distinction between male and female snowy owls. Males are nearly all white, while females are marked with dark bars, according to Chris Ketola of the centre. "You guys might think we have maybe six or seven, maybe 10 species but we've actually got 34 species of birds of prey in our country and 27 of them can be found in this province," Mr. Ketola told a group of about 40 children, who watched in awe as he held up each bird and described its unique characteristics. The Ontario Specialized Species Centre, located in Havelock, is a registered charitable organization that's dedicated to promoting the conservation of threatened and endangered species through its educational and breeding programs. Library staff strives to offer programs that give participants the opportunity to acquire new knowledge, said Brooklin branch supervisor Sandra Mammone. Visit: www.whitbylibrary.on.ca Library program for the birds