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This swallow breeds in colonies in caves, in a cleft in a cliff or sometimes on a building.

The bracket-shaped nest is white and translucent and are used in bird's nest soup,
they are composed almost entirely of saliva with little or no plant material.
The soup is made by soaking and steaming the nests in water and is said to be an aphrodisiac and to have various medicinal qualities.
The nests can fetch high prices and many colonies are harvested commercially.

Hong Kong and the United States are the largest importers of these nests.
In Hong Kong, a bowl of bird's nest soup would cost US$30 to US$100. A kilogram of white nest can cost up to US$2,000, and a kilogram of red nests can cost up to US$10,000.