25-04-2025
Birdsong battle: meet the finch fanciers reviving a medieval competition
Once the flag goes up, a reverential hush descends on the finch fanciers.
None of the contestants hunched over boxes in this corner of Flanders not far from Ypres makes a sound, not even a cough. Then, one by one, their birds burst into song.
The crowd that gathers to watch the curious events in the Belgian town of Geluveld on Saturday will be witnessing one of the world's oldest competitions, in which finches are encouraged to sing the most songs in an hour by their owners.
Although next to nobody has heard of his hobby, even at home, Gino Welvaert says it is growing popular to become a vinkenier, or finch fancier, a centuries-old Flemish tradition. For elite competitors, he explains, the moments
