Burger King thinks it deserves a Michelin star, and more of this week's weirdest news

Burger King has suggested that one of its beef burgers deserves a Michelin star — and the marketing campaign has caught the eye of the respected culinary guide.

The fast food giant's Belgian arm launched a petition demanding a sought-after star for its new Master Angus burger, encouraging followers to sign an online petition aimed at Michelin Guide inspectors.

"All right, we'll happily concede that 'star-rated' and Burger King aren't an obvious match at first sight," the fast food chain admitted.

But, the company added, "How many places does your little red book have that serve exceptional dishes that are on the table in five minutes?"

"We deserve that little star, don't you think?" the advertisement continued.

The stunt didn't exactly take off at first — fewer than 500 people have signed the petition — but it did prompt a response on Facebook from the Michelin Guide's social media team.

"Who said you needed silver service?" Michelin Guide wrote in response to a post by Burger King Luxembourg, which is also promoting the campaign, before suggesting that they would indeed try the burger.

Michelin jokingly promised that an inspector would judge the burger on its standard set of criteria, which includes the quality of its ingredients, the mastery of cooking, the harmony of flavors, and how much the personality of the chef comes through in the dish.

The first Michelin Guide was published in 1900 as a travel guide for motorists in France, and the publication has since become the foremost authority on gastronomy worldwide.

Inspectors use five criteria to judge a restaurant's output, and have awarded at least one Michelin star to more than 15,000 restaurants worldwide. Burger King has, unsurprisingly, never made the cut.

Some 105 restaurants are currently listed in the guide as having been awarded the maximum of three Michelin stars.

Attention, all swan lovers.

Officials in Lakeland, Florida, are making plans for a swan sale in the weeks ahead.

The reason for the unusual event?

The city spends $10,000 a year feeding and caring for them. The picturesque birds are also largely overpopulated, which causes quality of life issues for them, according to Lakeland's website.

"We currently have 80 swans here on Lake Morton to feed and care for, so we are looking to sell around 30 to 40 to ensure proper care for them all," Bob Donahay, Lakeland's Director of Parks and Recreation, told CNN.

Donahay says because there are too many swans in one area, they often fight over space in the lake and surrounding areas, and they roam onto streets and into traffic. Two were killed this year by motorists.

Prior to the swan sale, the city will conduct an annual "wellness check" on the entire flock.

"We are fortunate to have veterinarians in town who donate their services to our annual wellness roundups where we check the health of all our swans," Donahay said.

While the city does not conduct background checks on each buyer, Donahay says they do try to get to know each prospect before selling.

"We will have a great conversation about who they [the buyers] are and what their plans are for the swan or swans. And then we also make ourselves readily available if any of the swans experience medical issues down the road," Donahay said.

What do the new owners do with the animals? Donahay says everyone who buys a swan has some body of water in or near their homes, where the swans can live comfortably.

Others place their swans in wedding venues, or funeral or nursing homes, Donahay says.

The price is $400, a number Donahay proudly says is below market value.

Five parrots have been removed from public view at a British wildlife park after they started swearing at customers.

The foul-mouthed birds were split up after they launched a number of different expletives at visitors and staff just days after being donated to Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in eastern England.

"It just went ballistic, they were all swearing," the venue's chief executive Steve Nichols told CNN Travel on Tuesday. "We were a little concerned about the children."

"I get called a fat t**t every time I walk past," Nichols complained.

The African grey parrots -- named Eric, Jade, Elsie, Tyson and Billy -- were given to the park from five different owners within the same week, and shared a quarantining facility together before being placed on display.

But staff immediately noticed that the birds shared a propensity to fly off the handle.

"They literally, within a very short period of time, starting swearing at each other," Nichols said. "'F**k off' is the most common one," he explained -- "it's a very easy one for them to learn" -- but the birds would utter "anything you can think of."

Most customers enjoyed the talent once the parrots were displayed. "The visitors were giving them as much back as what they were giving to them," Nichols said.

But concern for younger customers forced staff to split up the birds and temporarily remove them from the park's public areas. Staff now hope the birds' language will become more family-friendly now that they have been separated.

"To take in a swearing parrot isn't an unusual thing, it's something that happens probably three or four times a year," Nichols said.

But the pandemic has led to a surge in donations, as owners spend more time with their birds and decide to give them to parks that can provide them with a larger living space, he explained.

"We would normally take in one or two parrots in a fortnight. Today we took in eight," he said.

African greys are among the most popular species of parrot. Around 1.1 million indoor birds were kept as pets in the UK in 2019, according to the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association.