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The edible-nest swiftlet (Aerodramus fuciphagus), also known as the white-nest swiftlet, is a small bird of the swift family which is found in Southeast Asia. Its opaque and whitish bird nest is made exclusively of solidified saliva and is the main ingredient of bird's nest soup , a delicacy of Chinese cuisine.
The swift family remains one of the more complicated groups of birds in taxonomic research, but the swiftlet tribe is a rather well-defined group. Its internal systematics is confusing; the plumage is usually dull, with shades of black, brown, and gray; from their outward appearance, most species are very similar.
The nests of Aerodramus swiftlets are constructed with saliva as a major component. In two species, saliva is the only material used, and the nests are collected for the famous Chinese delicacy 'bird's nest soup', the over-collection of which puts pressure on the swiftlet populations.
The hardened saliva nests of the edible-nest swiftlet and the black-nest swiftlet have been used in Chinese cooking for over 400 years, most often as bird's nest soup. [21] Over-harvesting of this expensive delicacy has led to a decline in the numbers of these swiftlets, [ 22 ] [ 23 ] especially as the nests are also thought to have health ...
Swiftlet nests have been used as a delicacy for over 400 years, most often as soup. [1] They are particularly prized in Chinese cuisine due to the rarity, high protein content and rich flavor, and are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans, [2] with prices up to about $4,300 per pound ($9,500/kg) depending on grading. [3]
Collocalia is a genus of swifts, containing some of the smaller species termed "swiftlets".Formerly a catch-all genus for these, a number of its former members are now normally (though not by all authors) placed in Aerodramus.
The uniform swift was formally described in 1832 by the French naturalists Jean Quoy and Joseph Gaimard from a specimen collected on the island of Vanikoro in the Solomon Islands. They coined the binomial name Hirundo vanikorensis. [2] [3] This swiftlet is now placed in the genus Aerodramus that was introduced in 1906 by Harry C. Oberholser. [4]
The Mariana swiftlet is considered to be Vulnerable [1] after being listed as an Endangered in 2016. [3] The population on Guam declined because of predation by brown tree snakes and the use of agricultural pesticides , though it is believed to have subsequently increased to an estimated 900 individuals in 2006.