From Karin Skl

Listed as a “Waldohreule,” which translates from German to “Wood Owl,” “Wood(Forest) Ear Owl” but many of us would know it as a Long Eared Owl.

  • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
    5·
    3 days ago

    And Eagle Owl / Uhu gets its own special word. Is there any reason for that, like it’s a word borrowed from another language or something?

    Edit: Looked it up while it was on my mind and found a wiktionary entry saying it’s onomatopoeic:

    Like obsolete Buhu, Schuhu, an alteration of early modern German Huhu, itself an onomatopoeic reduplication of *Hu, from Middle High German hūwe, huo, from Old High German hūwo (“nightowl”), from Proto-West Germanic *hūō (“owl”).

    • Successful_Try543@feddit.org
      3·
      3 days ago

      In a wildlife shelter close by, there was a young flightless Eagle Owl. When you approached his cage, he was quite loudly shouting: “Uhu! Uhu!”

      • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
        4·
        3 days ago

        I got to see a pair of Eagle Owls this year, but sadly they were behind glass so I couldn’t hear them. They also had hatchlings the week after I was there, so I missed out on all kinds of Uhu fun, but it was still exciting to see them. They were just as big as I had pictured and every bit as beautiful!

        • Successful_Try543@feddit.org
          2·
          3 days ago

          Yes, they are impressive and, of course, beautiful. Sadly, as “animal rights enthusiasts” broke into the shelter and released him, this one isn’t alive anymore.

          • anon6789@lemmy.worldOP
            2·
            3 days ago

            It’s sadder in some ways when someone thinks they’re helping, but actually doing a bad thing. I like my animals wild and free, but a flightless owl stands no chance on its own.

            It’s also disappointing seeing an animal that could have been rehabilitated, but people tried to help it on their own too long and now they are imprinted and can no longer be returned to nature for their own safety.