金丝燕

Traditional form:

金絲燕

Pinyin (reading):

jīnsīyàn

Definitions:

• Aerodramus, genus of birds that use echolocation, a subset of the Collocaliini tribe (swiflets), two of whose species – Aerodramus fuciphagus and Aerodramus maximus – build nests harvested to make bird's nest soup

Characters:

• 金 - gold, metal; money
• 丝 - silk, fine thread; wire; strings
• 燕 - lovebird, swallow

Traditional characters:

• 金 - gold, metal; money
• 絲 - silk, fine thread; wire; strings
• 燕 - lovebird, swallow