Seagull Boy: Meet the boy who really sounds like a seagull

A boy from the UK has won a European championship for his realistic seagull impression.

Nine-year-old Cooper from Derbyshire, travelled to Belgium with his family to compete in the EC Gull Screeching Competition.

People taking part in the competition are judged by a panel of experts on how good their impression of a gull is, with the aim to encourage people to think more kindly of the sea birds, which some people see as annoying.

Cooper went on to not only win the junior category with his impression, but also scored 92 out of a possible 100 - the most points of all of the competitors.

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Cooper, poses with his sister after the competition

Cooper became interested in doing impressions of seagulls after being nipped by one while he was eating a tuna sandwich near the beach.

He said he wanted to become "Seagull Boy" - like when Peter Parker became Spider-Man after being bitten by a spider.

"I feel like they are a really nice animal, I like them because of their noise," said Cooper.

"Sometimes they can be a bit scary and I'm still a bit wary of eating at the beach, so that's why I eat in a small tent."

Cooper was awarded a medal for winning the juvenile category

Speaking about Cooper's performance in the competition, Jan Seys, a marine biologist and one of the judges, said: "He managed to include several call types in his performance and each of them resembled a real seagull call in a most impressive way.

"In fact, for me, he was not only the best of the young participants, but of all those who took part in the championship." said Jan.

Jan is passionate about the sea birds, and thinks more research can be done to learn more about how they communicate.

"A few sounds are known and typical of certain behaviour, but how interesting would it not be to fully understand their language?" he said.