Why People Risk Their Lives To Harvest A $2700 Bird Nest Made Of Saliva | Risky Business 

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This has changed a lot recently. Smart folks in Vietnam have actually bought abandoned houses and turned them into giant bird houses. The birds are allowed to come and go but have established the houses as their home base. Some houses now have thousands of nests and can harvest multiple pounds per month. Making folks millionaires almost over night. But here's the thing.. I'm a long time chef and have had chef friends travel all over asia.. and all of them told me the bird nest soup has no flavor at all. It's like tasteless cellophane noodles in water.

This story gives life more value. I was born in the Philippines and damn I didn’t even know about this till I clicked on the video. Much Respect!

Even when they're doing such risky job they're still smiling man I'm so proud of my fellow Filipino keep safe as always 🙏

It's always fascinating learning about different cultures, unique skills passed down from generation to generation and the niche way people make a living around the globe.

That bird saliva must be damn good for $2700 a kilo. Who the hell was the first person to be like, "man, that bird puke looks kinda good. I think i am going to eat it." Hahaha

Highly recommend visiting the Philippines if u ever get the chance. It's like a computer background everywhere you look and the people are the nicest you'll ever meet.

I’m glad he was able to protect his ancestral island harvesting spot! The world has enough over rated resorts.

Fun fact, there is a storage house in the nearby town where the swiftlets have taken refuge. The house owner didn't use any swiflet lures or anything, they just transferred there one by one. I forgot the exact amount of breeding pairs but they are alot.

Before you think this is absolutely crazy, to eat birds saliva, remember that honey is basically bee saliva🤔

you'd have to pay me to eat bird spit. sounds like a dare lol

I hope they're able to keep the island as long as possible. Wealthy people will not stop in finding ways to take it away from them.

I'm just thinking of the birds who spend half of their lives looking for good nesting site, puking to make the nest, lay their eggs, and came back to see their nest disappear.

We need to introduce this guy with the US world record free climber and take him out to do this.

My parents and I left the Philippines when I'm 12 1/2 years old. And move to Canada.....I heard about this kind of bird nest before...but never seen or taste it...maybe some day....God willing.

Respect po sa Inyo...subrang Mahal talaga ang birds nest ..very special sa mga insik... Regallo Nila sa mga matatandang insik...😍😍😍😍

They only got 600$ after 5 months season while 2 pounds of it easily cost 2900$ ??!!!! THAT'S INHUMANE CAPITALISM 😡

Props to the Cameraman for learning how to farm these nests

I had heard about bird's nest soup but was puzzled how a bird nest can be an edible thing. Now got it. Thank you.

Wow ... Impressive yet very dangerous job Salute to them ❤️ Love from Nepal 🇳🇵

On one hand their hard work is admirable but on the other hand it is difficult not to be considerate of the birds which take even harder efforts and 15 days to make the nest. Both sides' skill sets, these men who risk their lives and the birds' in using saliva to make nests are admirable nevertheles.

The shot of his family at the end was fantastic, it's nice to see unique things about cultures you didn't know they did. Thanks

Hello watching from🇳🇿NZ. So glad I watched this video, because I love learning of other cultures, Much admiration for those men and boys who climb those impossible cliffs,.

Successful people don't become that way overnight. most people see at a glance-wealth, a great career, purpose-is the result of hard work and hustle over time. I pray that anyone who reads this will be successful in life🙏🙏🙏

The moment when he said 'it's like people who have forever partner' that line hit me hard.

I did it actually once with a Dutch guy. He came up with a patent ladder Which is extaxly long and the thickness of a bamboo, semi flexible to enter necessary crevices, made out of some steel mix material and had a lever from which small steps along the line of the stick pop out , making climbing much easier, bottom and top ends of the stick are secured with hook like attachments to prevent spinning around itself Thing is in the four times I attempted it the nests were all occupied so we didn't take them, as they had eggs in it. Still fun journey tho, makes me wonder if the Dutch guy is still at it.

The climbing skill these guys have is absolutely incredible

thanks a lot!!! so nice reverb

I’ve had many bird nests when I was younger ‘cause my brother and I were sickly. I’ve never really thought about how they were collected so this video was really informational. If you wondered what bird nest taste like, not much really. A jelly like consistency but thats pretty much it. My mother would spend an hour further cleaning the bird nests before letting it soak in water then boiling them with rock sugar. I’ll have to try the other versions to this one day.

I admire these men who take pride in their work eventhough it’s hard and very challenging… Hopefully the government can actually give support to them in strengthening their livelihoods in terms of safety…

When talking about the price, the translation read "Only rich people can afford to eat birds nest soup, for us it's nothing special." But what Alvin actually said was "I think only rich people eat birds nest soup, for (poor) people like us, we get none". The locals still think it's special, but too expensive for them to afford despite being the primary producers. It's a subtle difference in the translation, but an important one. Likewise the local dish they serve, Lormee or Lomi, is primarily a noodle dish. Whereas Birds nest in China is served with only the birds nest in clear sugar water.

fascinating, I was in Coron recently and they were talking about this...awsome

They've got some real skills harvesting barefoot. Locals in small province in China at least used safety equipments and proper gears in collecting the nest. Mad respect on these groups.

That is my younger brother's first job when we migrated to elnido palawan. So many climbers died, only few people do that now a days they made a hanging houses in each island for them to rest. It's a good money but it is really dangerous.

For people who do not know about this. I build a house and let the birds come to my house. Then they will create the nests like video. 1 season to gathering include 4 months First - The mom bird and dad will spawn the eggs.2 months for this. Second - The baby birds will growing up and practice flying,wait for food from their parents. 1 month Third - when baby birds have enough power and flying technique,then they will fly away to looking for their new home and new life.1 month After that,we will gathering the nests if the baby birds fly away,we do not throw the eggs or baby birds to gathering them,if the baby birds still living in the nest when they do not have enough power,I do not get that nests,I wait they fly away. I give the birds the place that they can create nest,they can hiding the dangerous from nature like storm,rain and other animals like eagle,owl,snake,chipmunk,etc.... They give us the nests.Ofcourse i can not protect them when they go to looking for food,but when they live in my house,i never let anything hurt them. Remember,this kind of bird do not staying in the nests,they only stay at nest when they spawn the eggs,usually they cling on the woods or some surfaces. Sorry for my bad english.

Respect these kind of people I'm very proud of you.and protect the island 🏝️🏖️🏖️🏝️🙏

The end shot of the family is just fascinating ... notice how the kids look like their Mom ...so LOVELY

I remember seeing birds nest soup in the Philippines on a menu and I was really curious as to what it was - now I know!

People and animals are extraordinary!

Hello maam, im also doing that same job t since when i was in 1 year high school, and im proud to sea your video maam

These amazing guys are probably looked at as poor but he looked so so rich to me. An amazing job that he clearly loves a beautiful family and home and good health. As someone who lives in England I am ridiculously envios. Stunning video

In other parts of south east asia only a small amount of people still do this. Most have moved to farming swift birds nest in abandoned buildings. It's safer for both collectors and birds as well. One interesting tidbit I found out from one of the farmers, is that the swift love 60s music, and he would play it all day to call it to nest!

What a magnificent sight, men with big and brave guts....

Hello have a great day watching from philippines, it's a new subscriber

I really hate how everyone is just living their best life minding their own business and then you have european coming outta nowhere and just ruin everything.

Im from Philippines but I didn't know that picking this saliva nest is hard and dangerous ....keep safe everyone

I think it’s an inspiration that someone can be happy and content with there family by only making $600 a year as well as fishing 👍 living the good life

Mabuhay Ang mga Pilipino.

May bago akong nalaman sa araw na 'toh! Maraming salamat po!

Eh ung mas excited pa ako sa isang malaking kaldero na puno ng CRABS!!! Parang wala lang sa kanila, normal lang ba. Kakainggit! Pahingi po ng alimasag. Hehe

This is absolutely incredible

The birds look for food in the day and make the nest the whole night using their saliva. I could not imagine how the birds feel when they come back in the evening to find out their nest was gone. 😭😭😭

I’m sure those guys are way stronger than average climbers. Massive respect👏🔝

Here in Hong Kong,a dozen amounts of bird’s nest saliva cost a thousand dollars depends on the class,but probably class A should be the most expensive ones.Heart breaking 💔how can they manage to climb in a narrow & dangerous cliff just to search balinsasayaw saliva😭Kudos to this man your a real hero,God bless you more kabayan.

So that's what they were doing. That's so cool! thanks for the documentary.

respect on them for letting the eggs be born, continue the generations and they keep getting their nests to make money and support family

the POV of those climbers 😵‍💫😫 mad respect on them! 👍

I had this dish before and i can say it has a very unique taste and texture, its like soup but much thicker but not too thick, kinda like slime egg yoke, we normally have it in small bowls or cups we ether drink it or use a big soup spoon, we normally have it on special occasions such as weddings, but then again this is my own personal opinion and our culture.

My parents are from a small island in Alaska called King Island. The younger guys would climb up the steep island cliffs to get coolect murr bird eggs.

Alex Honnold: I’m a free solo climber. These men: Hold my soup

here in Palawan, my aunties would usually buy these for their toddlers. Its very nutritious, and is good for their immune system. It doesnt really have a certaim taste

That dude Alvin has nerves of steel. That was incredible watching him climb that and look down at the water 🤯

My head getting to so light watching this

When they started speaking Filipino, I smiled so wide. It's quite rare to see my country featured in these type of content.

bird nest harvesting here in malaysia especially in borneo island of sabah and sarawak are among the popular harvester place. Several years back many investing their money to build artificial bird houses to attract birds and this is much safe but it'll takes time for birds to moves in

Yeah, this is really true. Once one tribe discovered a swiftlets cave, it will be in their descendant forever. I grew up always heard about this because exactly same province i am with this people on the video. Most of those people have a good life than their neighbor without caves.

Birds looking for their nests: F****g humans....

Good afternoon po. Great video! Thanks for sharing💖

I love to join them as it's a kind of adventure plus making a living out of it. Nice video

I remember my childhood days we are used to climb in pointy stones near the sea to gather sea shells. This type of climbing is already common on people who grew up in province. 😃😃😃

5:01 😂🤣 but you are entering...

I use to do this job on my teenage. Its very hard and risky.. salute to this people...

Busyador: "If you fall off this cliff, you're dead." Cameraman: *IF* I fall off.

The island is so beautiful wow

Honest livelihood! well done

Ang galing nila walang takot... Mag - iingat Po kayo lagi 🙏🙏🙏

My uncle lives in Borneo, he owns 5 story house made just for swallows to nest. Swallow house building like this is common in rural area where swallow is abundant. Very sound investment. Tho I don't know if some buyer preffer bird nest from cave rather than harvested from man made buildings.

Us Filipinos have a very strong sense of community I'd bet every person on that island is related and part of his family, from one generation to the other

I truly respect these kind of people risking their lives in making a living. I had seen this type of activity many years ago inside a particular cave named Batu Niah near Bintulu, Sarawak. The cave was 3 km deep and with a height of hundreds of feet. These people endured the darkness, dampess and cold conditions just to reach the top to extract these priced commodity. The price of a type-A nest at that time was US 1,800.00. Unfortunately, not all were successful. We could see human bones in the bottom of these caves.

Greate ❤ your video from India

Who needs ladders when we got bamboo!

Regular People: climbs for sport Alvin: climbs to make a living

Maraming salamat sa inyong pagshare

Damn my dude has 4 daughters 1 son 7 mouths to feed poor fella! But happy he's happy and providing for his kin! Good dude!

We should respect these people.

Thoroughly enjoyed this. Reminds me to be grateful.

Keep Safe Kabayan🙏🏻🥰

Why did I first read that as “bird salvia” lol

Respect for these people risking their lives trying to feed their families. The sad part is bird nest has no real benefits

So that's how they were harvested. This soup tastes really good. It's creamy and the dried saliva is crunchy and delicious. It sounds disgusting, but it's just pure delish

Wonderful...!👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Can anyone tell me what month they collect swallow nests in Kinabatangan (Kalimantan)? I would like to make a short documentary. Thank you

The level of respect for the egged nest

This is unexpected I was shocked when he speak fil💀💀

Very interesting & informative

what?😂 " boosting immunity." 😂😂

Amazing effort 👏👏👏

The locals believe is good for your health. So they still not sure but are eating the soup! 😵‍💫

I have family in vietnam that harvest these nest and ive had bird nest soup before, it really has no flavor, it has a little sweetness and the bird nests texture in the soup is jelly like. im pretty sure there’s different ways to cook this but this is just the way i had it. my uncle had told me the reason people buy this is for health benefits.

i still don't get why there's any demand for bird nest soup. it's literal bird saliva, how is that found appetizing?