Bird nests come home to roost

Producers cash in on demand from China's middle class

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

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