A goose that was spotted flying upside down was just showing off to its friends, experts have confirmed.
Amateur photographer Vincent Cornelissen couldn't believe his eyes when he spotted the goose performing the manoeuvre, which is known as whiffling.
He captured an image of the goose and it was soon shared widely online, with many people questioning what it was doing - and how it worked.
Then Vincent had his answer, as an expert stepped forward and explained that the goose, probably a youngster, was learning new tricks and showing off in front of other birds.
What do you think about the bizarre image? Let us know in the comments
Speaking to WGME, Lars Soerink, a wildlife photographer and conservation science communicator for Bird Protection Netherlands, said: "Once young geese have mastered flying, they start to see what is possible and how far they can go.
"They do it to brag to their peers. Like, look at me!”
Vincent took the picture of the dark gray-brown bean goose in Arnhem, Netherlands, earlier this year and it has been circulating online ever since.
Sharing the image on Instagram, he wrote: "Despite the bad weather (or in my case: because of the bad weather) I still went out this morning.
"With as a special treat a sea eagle and a spoonbill flying over and a goose that didn't know how to fly because of the wind."
The photographer said he got thousands of messages and comments from people around the world, and he has racked up thousands of followers on social media as a result.
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He added: "There was even a professor from Istanbul University who edited my photo with arrows to teach his students about aerodynamics."
Whiffling is seen in several species of birds, including lapwings and geese, and is believed to be used to avoid avian predators.
It is described as resembling a 'falling leaf', and to do it the geese roll their body upside down and twist their neck and head 180 degrees around to its normal position.
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