Bird's nest soup is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. A few species of swift, the cave swifts, are renowned for building the saliva nests used to produce the unique texture of this soup.

The edible bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products consumed by humans. The nests have been used in Chinese cooking for over 400 years, most often as bird's nest soup.

Bird's nest contains several organic nutrients such as soluble glycoprotein and amino acid, and also minerals, such as zinc, copper, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium.