Big business in bird's nest in Myanmar seaside town

Swiftlets making nests in the roof of a building in Myeik city, in South-Eastern Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region. Photos: AFP

The cries of amorous swiftlets echo around the dark room, an unlikely gold mine for traders in southern Myanmar, who are cashing in on the rising demand for the edible nests from China's growing middle class.

Dozens of buildings dedicated to the tiny birds have sprung up around the seaside town of Bokpyin in recent years, their grey concrete structures towering over the humbler wood and brick homes of the town's human inhabitants.