Swiftlet Nest Farming Proves Good for Business… Maybe Too Good

Up there on the weirdest-things-you-can-eat list has to be Birds Nest soup. It would be weird enough just to eat your standard twiggy-grassy robin’s nest, but this predominantly Chinese delicacy is made almost entirely from the goopy spit of a southeast Asian bird called a swiftlet (check out a couple of close-up nest photos over at EatingAsia). The birds glue their nests hundreds of feet high on sheer cave walls. When cooked, they yield a slick, nearly flavorless broth that’s prized for such medicinal chestnuts as increased longevity and, you guessed it, libido.

Unfortunately, swiftlets are not an invasive species we can proudly devour. To the contrary, growing demand from a prosperous China is compromising the birds’ ability to continue, uh, spitting out the nests. It doesn’t help that the sticky nests are the devil to clean, so collectors take the nests before they’ve been used to raise any young swiftlets. And in a weird double-twist, an unlikely solution—farming the nests—has increased supply and at the same time endangered some wild populations.

The monetary incentive is tremendous: swiftlet nests can sell for more than $1,200 per pound and fuel a multi-million dollar trade that can rival the fishing returns of poor regions. One Web site offers an 8-ounce “family pack” for about $600 (five percent discount on orders over $1,000).

In traditional harvesting, extremely daring men scale teetering bamboo poles to reach the nests, then scrape them from the cave walls. If you’ve ever shinnied up a flagpole with a basket and stick slung over your back and then performed your favorite yoga poses at the top, you may have some idea how dangerous this is. (Rock climbers tend to be fascinated; one has even made a documentary.)

Swiftlet Nest Farming Proves Good for Business… Maybe Too Good

A low-tech alternative—constructing artificial caves to farm the nests—has proved both successful and popular in Indonesia, where multistory buildings are erected in the middle of towns (sometimes even with a shop or apartment on the ground floor). The upper stories feature generous entrance holes, swiftlet songs play at the entrance to set a welcoming mood, and owners can add insect attractants and a swiftlet-pleasing scent, as chronicled in the World of Swiftlet Farming blog.

The set-up appeals to enough swiftlets that Indonesian production of the nests is booming (up to 280 tons, valued at more than $800 million, according to a 2004 source). Unfortunately, the high prices encourage wild-nest collectors to redouble their efforts. The toll is felt most keenly on islands, where nest farming is limited and so is the ability of swiftlets to recover from raids. In a 2001 study in India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands, swiftlet populations had declined 83% in 10 years.

Overharvesting was a clear cause, with declines recorded in 366 of 385 known nesting caves. Of 6,031 nests surveyed, only two had been left alone long enough for swiftlet chicks to have hatched. Harvesting was so devastating that the authors urged the islands’ governments to encourage nest farming as the swiftlets’ only chance for survival. (Though nest farming still involves destroying nests, the damage is counterbalanced by the increased nesting opportunities provided by the farms. Farmers typically allow late-nesting swiftlets to raise young, and even captively raise swiftlets in the nests of other birds to keep numbers up.)

National parks in India, Thailand, and other countries typically ban wild nest harvesting. But restrictions have yet to be enacted on a comprehensive, international scale - partly because farming has been so successful and global numbers are fairly high. Swiftlets are not listed as endangered by CITES or the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

I’m fascinated by the good-news bad-news saga of farming. Since its inception 10,000 years ago, farming has been our solution to the difficulty and unpredictability of securing animal food. By all accounts it’s been a huge success, but never a complete one. Disappearing swiftlets are just another curve ball in a world tainted by the likes of mad cow disease, brucellosis, and avian flu. Farmed salmon, anyone?

History of Edible Birds Nest

Birds Nests seem to be a food for the Chinese since a long time ago. Edible nests are found in China but rare, and that the Chinese must always have relied on overseas sources...

Birds Nest – The Beginning

He lost count of how many generations his ancestors have been occupying this land, this raw bountiful land now known as Borneo.
He is an indigenous tribal man, living out of caves and makeshift shelters that hardly qualify as a hut. He speaks no languages but simply communicates his basic needs to his community.
There are other tribes beside his own, each living in their own area and populating the jungles and the caves, eking out a living by gathering fruits and plants, and of course, the occasional hunted animal.
He walked a little bit further today despite the sweltering sun, taking pride in his youth and ability to withstand hardship. But like any other tropical country, Heaven has plans of its own. The sun was soon overshadowed by water-laden clouds, which in turn, waste no time in emptying its burdens like a blessing down to earth.
Our jungle boy was reluctantly persuaded to take accommodation in the nearest caves, while praying that his fellow tribes people are safe from the rain too.
This wasn’t his first visit to these particular caves but he seldom stayed long here, for the dampness and darkness wasn’t something every human can appreciate. The incessant high pitch screeching of the swiftlets and the bats made it an even less desirable attraction.
Since the weather is going to remain the same for some time, he took this opportunity to focus his acute vision on his surroundings. Scanning the high walls and ceiling of the cave, he was astounded by what he saw.

Tiny white cup-like structures are fixated in the most disorderly arrangement all over the upper levels of the cave walls and ceiling. And hundreds, if not thousands of swiftlets are popping in and out of these nests like a game of hide and seek.
Even the modern man would be surprised to learn of birds building nests in caves instead of on trees, so one can imagine the amazement of this uneducated tribesman.
His instincts instantly told him that these different caves are conducive for these birds and bats to stay and breed compared to the ones his people are staying in. After all, no two caves are alike.
Fascinated, he made a commitment to come back and learn more about these cave dwelling birds. He may eventually discover something beneficial to his people, especially if he can unlock a new source of food.

Discovery of Edible Birds Nest

Birds Nest – The Discovery
Over the next few months, he returned to these Bird Caves several times, often in the daylight to try and observe as much as he can about this new phenomena. He is not alone this time. His fellow food gatherers are excited about his findings and have accompanied him on this long trek.
Suddenly, one of his companions is gesticulating wildly. Following the direction of his shaking finger, they began to understand why. Not too far from them is the most beautiful cave lizard they have ever seen. It is similar to a house lizard albeit tougher and bigger in size.
This cave lizard is nearly shimmering. Unlike the common cave lizards they are used to seeing, this cave lizard has the nicest shade of colour, smooth glowing skin and almost bursting with regality. It is the most handsome cave lizard they have ever laid their eyes on.
As they looked on with a baffled expression, the cave lizard calmly approaches an empty swiftlet nest and began eating it, starting from the edges.
Upon further observation, the men chanced upon other extraordinary looking cave lizards and even cockroaches, either at rest or feeding on the abandoned nests.
By now, it is evident that there is something unique about these Birds Nests, something that improves the skin and appearance of its consumer. Most importantly, it is something possibly edible that they can use to sustain their diet.
Like the cavemen they are, rocks were hurled upwards towards the nests, dislodging several of them. The nests fell down into the waiting arms of these men, broken eggs and all.
Carrying their newfound harvest, the men eagerly headed back home to show their tribal chief what they have gathered.
Unknown to them, this accidental discovery will soon spark off a huge interest by travelling Chinese explorers and merchants, taking this prized delicacy all over the world.
A new food is born.