The Secret of Bird's Nest

JinYi Group · Bird's Nest Knowledge Base

Edible bird's nest (EBN), known as "燕窝" (Yàn Wō) in Mandarin and "Sarang Burung Walet" in Malay, is a valuable and highly prized delicacy in Chinese culture. EBN is the nest of the swiftlet. There are mainly two types of swiftlets: white nest swiftlets (Aerodramus Fuciphagus) and black nest swiftlets (Aerodramus Maximus). Nests from these species are known for premium purity, containing less foreign material such as grass, feathers and mud. White EBN is higher in purity — made up almost entirely of saliva secretion from the male bird — while black EBN has lower purity.

Aerodramus Fuciphagus is a small swiftlet, generally 11–14 cm long and weighing 15–18 g. The body is blackish-brown on the upper part and ranges from white to blackish-brown below. The tail is short with a slight notch; the bill and feet are black, and the wings are long and narrow. Their diet consists of flying insects caught in flight — winged ants, bees, flies, small beetles, leafhoppers and mayflies.

Instead of mud and straw, these swiftlets construct their nests from strands of saliva — a glutinous, starch-like secretion produced by the male's sublingual salivary glands during breeding season. The saliva hardens on exposure to air as the bird shapes it into a cup-shaped nest, which also cements the nest to the ceiling of the cave or building. After the hatchlings mature and leave, the nest is harvested for human consumption.

In traditional Chinese food culture, bird's nest has long been treasured as a nourishing delicacy — typically prepared as soups or desserts, or double-boiled with rock sugar. Its rarity and high demand make it a luxury food.