15 Amazing Facts About 15 Birds

A common raven looking pretty pleased with itself.
A common raven looking pretty pleased with itself. / Andreas Saatze-Stein/500px/Getty Images
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10. Swiftlet nests are a delicacy.

A worker cleans and plucks bird feathers from recently collected swiftlet nests.
A worker cleans and plucks bird feathers from recently collected swiftlet nests. / Jerry Redfern/LightRocket/Getty Images

Some swiftlets, appropriately named edible-nest swiftlets, build nests almost exclusively from their hardened saliva. The saliva nests are considered a delicacy in some countries—in China, they are most frequently used to make bird’s nest soup—and are one of the most expensive foods in the world, despite having little flavor and no real nutritional value.