Photo by Johann Es

Ein Boobookkautz, aufgenommen auf dem Großen Feldberg im Taunus, bei einem Greifvogel Workshop.

Google’s Translation:

A Boobook Owl, photographed on the Großer Feldberg in the Taunus, during a bird of prey workshop.

Original Facebook Translation:

A boobook machete, taken on the Großen Feldberg in Taunus, at a bird of prey workshop.

Australian Boobook, thought to be a variety of the NZ Morepork/Ruru up until 1999.

This whole post threw me for a loop. Between Facebook calling it a machete to me wondering why a German was using the Australian word for owl (thought this was a damp Short Eared at first). I wonder how this little one came to be so far from home.

  • @marron12
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    32 days ago

    Facebook’s machine translation isn’t great. There’s nothing here that’s even remotely close to the word for “machete.” But the translator might have lost its mind because “Kauz” was misspelled (there’s no “t” in it). And sometimes unique names make the computer go crazy.

    I couldn’t find any info about this particular owl, but my best guess would be some kind of conservation program. There are quite a few of those (for all kinds of animals) in the German-speaking countries.

    This particular place is a nature park and raptor rescue near Frankfurt. Very cute little owl!

    • anon6789OP
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      22 days ago

      Thank you! I knew I had a few German followers, so I was hoping one of you would comment.

      I tried looking up the area a little to try and see where this was at, but I wasn’t having much luck, and then I got busy.

      I know places trade species with each other, but Germany and Australia feel so far apart and my mind pictures them as totally different places, but that is likely just my ignorance of other places. 😉