A squawk for Europe? Seagull imitation championship held in Belgium

The first European Gull Screeching Championship was held in Adinkerke, Belgium on March 24, with screeches and squawks galore.

People from across Europe participated in the strange competition, with each providing their own variations of the high-pitched bird calls.

The final winners were Reggy Laatsch, 31, from Amsterdam and Bregje Iding, 21, from Hasselt in Belgium.

The event had no grand prize as such beyond the glory of being an expert gull imitator, and a basket of Belgian beers.

Jan Seys, from the Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (Flanders Marine Institute) commented on the event: "[People have] come together to make the best imitation of the sound of a gull, which sounds quite stupid, but it is real science.

"Before you can really imitate a gull, you have to make nice observations otherwise you'll never make it."