swiftlet cultivation
about swiftlet about bird's nest brief history growing market the smarter investment Swiftlets are cave-dwellers. They can grow to be 3 ½ to 6 inches in length and can weigh up to half an ounce. They possess the uncanny ability of echolocation which allows them to navigate in total darkness through the caves where they roost and breed. Typically, the birds leave the cave during the da to forage and return to roost at night.

Experts believe that Malaysia is a suitable location for swiftlet nest farming as the climate is perfect. The birds usually require a temperature of 28°C and a humidity of 70-85 per cent. Also, Malaysia has cleaner air than some of the other countries producing bird’s nests.

Nests are collected for the famous Chinese delicacy, bird's nest soup. Authentic bird's nest soup is made from nests of mainly the edible-nest (or white-nest) swiftlet. Instead of twigs, feathers and straw, these swiftlets make their nests only from strands of their gummy saliva, which harden when exposed to air. White Bird's Nest is also known as “White Gold”, Caviar Of The East, Food Of The Emperor and can fetch up to US$58 per bowl in Hong Kong.

Once the nests are harvested, they are cleaned and sold. Eating swiftlet nest material is believed to help maintain skin tone, balance qi or "life energy" and reinforce the immune system. It is also believed to strengthen the lungs and prevent coughs, improve the constitution and prolong life.


Life & Times

Swiftlets are insectivores, meaning they survive on a diet of flying insects, which they catch mid air. The breeding season overlaps the wet season, which corresponds to an increased insect population. During breeding, a swiftlet's saliva glands enlarge enormously, enabling the bird to produce the saliva that binds the nest, which takes approximately 1 ½ to 2 months to construct.

A swiftlet nest resembles a small bracket. The male regurgitates a long, thin gelatinous strand from salivary glands under its tongue, which is then wound into a half-cup nest and bonds like quick-drying cement to the inside of a cave or building wall.

Birds tend to breed throughout the year, but laying is usually concentrated from October to February. Incubation and fledging periods are 23 ± 3 days and 43 + 6 days, respectively. Most young hatch during the dry season with a normal clutch size of two, but many birds will lay second clutches (75%) and third clutches (15-4%) using the same nest.