Bird’s nest can be divided into Xue Yan(血燕), Guan Yan(官燕) and Mao Yan(毛燕). This categorization is determined by the harvesting procedure.

The swiftlet, Aerodramus Fuciphagus, will start building its nest during the breeding season in April every year. The nest built is purely constructed by the salivary secretions of the swiftlet. It is pure white in color with lesser impurities and hence it is called Bai Yan(白燕).

Used only as royal tributes in the past, it is also known as Guan Yan(官燕), which is the top grade bird’s nest. After the Guan Yan has been harvested, the swiftlet will build a second nest immediately.

This time round, the bird’s nest will usually contain some feathers and be darker in color, thus it is called Mao Yan(毛燕).

The color of Xue Yan(血燕) has always raised much queries. Some suggested that when the swiftlet secretes its saliva, blood is also secreted and hence the reddish color of the bird’s nest but this claim has not been substantiated.

In fact, the color of Xue Yan is the result of the swiftlet’s diet on minute sea creatures and plants. The rarity of this product is the main reason for its high price.

Upon processing, the bird’s nests can be further categorized into four different grades:

First Yan Zhan (燕盏): The feathers are removed and the natural shape of the nest is maintained. This is the top grade bird’s nest.

Second Yan Tiao(燕条): After removing the feathers, the natural shape of the nest is not retained but the fibres are intact and hence it’s called strips.

Third Yan Bing (燕饼): The nest strips are lined together with nest crumbles and then molded into the natural shape of a bird’s nest.

Fourth Yan Sui (燕碎): Fallen crumbles from the bird’s nest during processing or transporting.

燕窝的分类 燕窝的三大品种介绍

燕窝的分类，燕窝的三大品种介绍，燕窝自古就是美容养颜的首选，燕窝种类繁多，燕窝品种也数不胜数，燕窝产品更是多如繁星，随着燕窝市场的活跃，如果不能真正了解燕窝的分类，是无法对市面上众多的燕窝产品进行鉴别真伪以及质量的上次。

燕窝品种

一、黄燕盏，海燕盏，从印尼沿海地区收获的这些沿海鸟巢的确非常特别。由于金丝燕除了昆虫之外，还以丰盛的小虾和小鱼为食物，因此，这些沿海生产的燕窝其蛋白质和矿物质方面特别高。它们的口感和味道较其他类型的燕窝来的好，并且非常适于孕妇。

二、血燕盏，血燕盏的原产地于海拔较高的地区。由于这些金丝燕的食物含有非常高的矿物质，在经过燕子唾液的自然化学和栖息洞穴之间的相互作用后，这些燕盏的颜色显得特别的红。这些燕盏能促进细胞的新陈代谢、生长和表皮的复原，增强身体的抵抗力。

三、金丝黄燕，金丝黄洞燕只选用上等洞燕为原料，而原料取自于印尼爪哇深山原始森林之洞穴，一个非常适合金丝燕成长的天然环境。这类燕窝的金黄色是燕窝本身之色泽和特征。