The University of Saskatchewan has opened a new facility for the advanced study of birds.

The space, called the Facility for Applied Avian Research (FAAR) was noted Wednesday as one of only two such facilities in Canada.

FAAR covers close to 350 square metres and has six indoor bird rooms and 12 outdoor enclosures.

The university said the facility can hold a large variety of bird species and is "dedicated to the study of avian wildlife ecotoxicology and bird health."

University officials, who conducted a tour of the facility Wednesday, took the opportunity to point out that 57 scientists and students at the Saskatoon-based university had recently won approval for some $10 million in grants from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.