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Emitting rapid keck-keck-keck cries that resounded across a central Berlin green space, the large hawks climbed far over the treetops and circled before plunging downwards to scatter a ragged flock of crows that had begun to mob them.

"It's basically a flying superhero enforcing justice to the city," remarked a conservationist, watching the large light-breasted birds through a telescope. "They're akin to fighter jets."

The goshawk is an top predator – and conservationists hope it will soon bring awe and joy to British cities, following its presence in European metropolises. In the United Kingdom, this swift bird of prey was persecuted to virtual disappearance and only began to recover in rural regions during the 1960s. It remains commonly targeted on private lands and hunting grounds.

Flourishing in European Cities

In other parts of the continent, the northern goshawk is doing well – even in bustling capitals such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and the Czech capital. From a public garden in Berlin, where a sizable eyrie rested in the top of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the "phantom of the forest" hunts pigeons in the streets and even perches on rooftops.

The raptors have adapted to busy vehicle flow – while tall transparent structures still present a threat – and are far more comfortable with the constant flow of pet owners, joggers, and kids than their forest-dwelling counterparts would be with people.

"This is just like any green space in the UK, that's the amazing thing," commented the head of a rewilding initiative, which aims to bring these raptors to Chester and London in the initial phase of a project reintroducing them to urban environments. "It proves this can be accomplished quickly – with little difficulty, but with great excitement."

Assisted Colonisation Proposal

The expert is planning to submit a proposal for the "urban reintroduction" of the northern goshawk to the authorities in the near future; the plan foresees the freeing of 15 birds in each of the selected urban areas, sourced as juveniles from natural European nests and British aviaries.

He hopes they will come to the rescue of Britain's beleaguered songbirds by preying on mid-sized predators such as corvids, magpies, and small crows, whose numbers have increased unchecked and threatened birds further down the food chain.

Their arrival should have an immediate effect on the "brazen" medium-sized birds that prey on tiny species that people love, explains the scientist, pointing to a similar effect documented in wolves. "It's what's known as an ecology of fear. Everyone knows the apex predators are in the city."

Possible Challenges and Risks

Conservation efforts throughout the continent have encountered strong resistance from agricultural workers and activist groups in recent years, as big predators such as wolves and ursines have come back to lands now populated by people. As their numbers have expanded, they have begun to eat livestock and in some cases confront individuals.

The reintroduction of the raptor into city Britain is not expected to spark a similar resistance – the species currently reside in other parts of the country, and pet-owners and urban gardeners have minimal to worry about from them – but the species has created tensions even in cities it has long called home.

In Berlin, where an approximate 100 breeding pairs constitute the highest-known concentration in the globe, and additional German cities, these hawks have turned into the focus of pigeon and chicken breeders whose animals are being eaten.

A scientist who has researched raptor adaptation to urban environments used GPS transmitters to follow 60 birds as part of her doctorate, and states that although there could be potential advantages from employing goshawks to control mid-level predators in UK urban areas, young birds taken from rural homes may find it hard to adjust to city life and emphasized the need to include all interested parties from the start. "Overall, it's a hazardous endeavour."

Scientific Opinions

An ornithologist who has examined hawk behavior in non-urban England said it was uncertain if the raptors would decide to remain in urban environments and improbable that the proposed quantity would be sufficient to have a significant positive impact on backyard species numbers. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he said. "My guess is they'll probably disperse into the nearest rural areas."

The conservationist is nonetheless optimistic about the initiative's prospects. The specialist, who has previously been awarded a licence to track the Scottish wildcat and was a technical consultant for a program that brought the great bustard back to the United Kingdom, argues that approaching releases in a "welfare-based manner" is the essential element to achievement.

Previous Reintroduction Attempts

The conservationist's initial attempt to bring back wild cats to the UK was refused by the environment official on the advice of the nature agency in 2018. A preliminary application for a test release has also met opposition, although the chair of the environmental organization recently expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of reintroducing lynx during his two-year term.

If the hawk initiative goes ahead, the raptors will be equipped with GPS transmitters – an task expected to represent almost 50% of the projected project cost of £110,000 – and be given a regular source of nourishment for as long as is required after being freed. In the German city, the conservationist highlighted the mental benefit of city-dwellers being able to spot a predator as secretive as the goshawk while they conduct their lives, rather than locating conservation projects only in rural areas.

"It'll inject such excitement," he said. "Individuals visit the green space to feed pigeons. In the future they'll be traveling to see hawks."