Photo by Wolfgang Kippes
The caption called this a sperlingskauz, which was translated to "Sparrow Owl."
I'd never heard of a Sparrow Owl, but the EPO has a scientific name that is Latin for "Sparrow Owl" that I will assume is how it got its German name.
Your explanation has more details, so it's still the better one.
Plus you taught me about flat jokes, so I got to read a few more looking for the owl explanation.