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Emitting quick keck-keck-keck sounds that rang out across a central Berlin green space, the large hawks soared high above the canopy and circled before diving down to chase off a disorganized flock of black birds that had begun to mob them.

"It's basically a soaring superhero bringing law and order to the urban environment," stated a conservationist, watching the large light-breasted birds through binoculars. "They are like stealth bombers."

The goshawk is an top predator – and conservationists hope it will soon deliver wonder and delight to UK cities, following its presence in German metropolises. In the UK, this fast-moving raptor was persecuted to virtual extinction and only started to bounce back in rural regions during the 1960s. It remains widely persecuted on shooting estates and hunting grounds.

Flourishing in European Capitals

In different parts of the continent, the northern goshawk is thriving – even in bustling capitals such as the German capital, Amsterdam, and the Czech capital. From a public garden in Berlin, where a sizable nest rested in the top of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the "phantom of the forest" hunts city birds in the streets and even rests on building tops.

The raptors have adapted to busy traffic – although tall glass buildings still present a danger – and are far more at ease with the constant flow of pet owners, joggers, and kids than their forest-dwelling relatives would be with humans.

"It is similar to any park in the United Kingdom, that's the amazing thing," commented the director of a rewilding initiative, which plans to bring goshawks to two UK cities in the initial phase of a project reintroducing them to urban environments. "It demonstrates this can be done swiftly – without much fuss, but with great enthusiasm."

Assisted Colonisation Plan

The conservationist is planning to present a proposal for the "assisted colonisation" of the goshawk to the regulator in the near future; the plan foresees the release of 15 birds in each of the selected urban areas, obtained as chicks from natural continental eyries and UK aviaries.

He hopes they will come to the rescue of the UK's beleaguered garden birds by hunting mesopredators such as corvids, magpies, and jackdaws, whose populations have grown without control and threatened birds further down the food chain.

Their arrival should have an immediate impact on the "bold" mid-sized birds that attack smaller ones that the public adore, explains the conservationist, pointing to a comparable effect observed in canine predators. "It's what's called an ecology of fear. Everybody realizes the big guys are in town."

Possible Challenges and Risks

Conservation efforts across the continent have encountered fierce opposition from agricultural workers and activist groups in recent years, as big carnivores such as wolves and bears have come back to territories now populated by people. As their populations have grown, they have begun to eat livestock and in certain instances confront humans.

The introduction of the raptor into city England is not expected to spark a comparable resistance – the birds already reside in other parts of the country, and animal guardians and city residents have minimal to fear from them – but the bird has created conflicts even in urban centers it has long called home.

In the German capital, where an approximate 100 breeding pairs constitute the largest density in the globe, and other European cities, goshawks have become the focus of bird fanciers whose animals are being consumed.

A researcher who has studied goshawk adaptation to city environments employed GPS trackers to follow 60 goshawks as part of her doctorate, and says that although there could be potential advantages from using goshawks to regulate mid-level predators in British cities, chicks removed from countryside nests may struggle to adjust to urban life and emphasized the importance to involve all interested parties early on. "In general, it's a hazardous endeavour."

Scientific Opinions

An ornithologist who has examined goshawk behavior in rural Britain said it was unclear if the birds would choose to stay in cities and unlikely that the proposed quantity would be enough to have a noticeable beneficial impact on backyard species populations. "What will happen of those 15 birds?" he asked. "I suspect is they'll likely disperse into the nearest rural areas."

The conservationist is nonetheless optimistic about the initiative's chances. The expert, who has previously been granted a permit to tag the Scottish wildcat and was a technical consultant for a project that brought the great bustard back to the UK, contends that approaching releases in a "welfare-based manner" is the essential element to achievement.

Past Reintroduction Efforts

The expert's first effort to bring back wild cats to the UK was rejected by the environment official on the recommendation of the wildlife body in recent years. A preliminary proposal for a test reintroduction has also met opposition, even though the chair of the nature body recently showed enthusiasm about the idea of releasing the feline predator during his 24-month tenure.

If the hawk initiative proceeds, the raptors will be equipped with GPS transmitters – an endeavour expected to account for almost 50% of the estimated budget of £110,000 – and be provided a steady supply of nourishment for as long as is required after being freed. In the German city, the expert stressed the mental advantage of urban residents being able to observe a hunter as elusive as the goshawk while they go about their lives, rather than locating rewilding projects only in countryside locations.

"It'll bring such excitement," he said. "Individuals visit the park to give food to birds. Soon they'll be going to see hawks."