Balinsasayaw flock nests in Leyte home; family hopes birds will move to suitable location

Hundreds of balinsasayaw or swiftlets have been nesting at a family home in Baybay, Leyte, but its residents are hoping that the birds will soon move to a more suitable location.

According to #KuyaKimAnoNa on “24 Oras” Wednesday, Janice Talip said it started in 2019 when around 10 birds that looked like bats began lounging in one ceiling corner at their veranda.

Upon closer inspection, they realized that the creatures were not bats but but-buta, better known as balinsasayaw or swiftlets, birds that were black in color and looked like maya.

At first, the family was OK with the presence of the birds. They even thought these would bring them blessings.

“Marami rin po kasing mga kapitbahay nagsasabi na suswertehin daw po ’yung pamilya namin,” said Janice.

But as time went by, their new boarders brought only inconvenience. The birds brought so much dirt to their house, which made Janice’s father sick.

“Natatakot po kami kung ano pa pong dalang sakit,” said Janice.

She also said the balinsasayaw made so much noise especially at night. “Sobrang ingay, lalo sa gabi, hindi kami makatulog.”

For the meantime, she said they would just install a net to prevent the birds from coming in.

“Hindi naman namin talaga sila gustong saktan, gusto sana naming na bumalik na sila sa natural habitat nila,” said Janice.

Kuya Kim explained that balinsasayaw or swiftlets lived in dark caves. However, with the destruction of their natural habitat, the birds had to find other areas to build their nest.

Meanwhile, some swiftlet species can build their own nest with their saliva. These nests, which sell for about $2,000 or over PHP100,000 per kilogram, are collected for the highly sought after Chinese delicacy called bird’s nest soup or nido soup. – RC, GMA News