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Releasing rapid keck-keck-keck calls that rang out through a downtown Berlin green space, the goshawks climbed far above the canopy and wheeled before diving down to drive away a ragged group of black birds that had begun to harass them.

"They are essentially a soaring Batman bringing law and order to the city," stated a wildlife expert, watching the large light-breasted birds through a telescope. "They're akin to stealth bombers."

The goshawk is an apex predator – and experts aspire it will soon deliver wonder and joy to British cities, following its presence in German urban areas. In the United Kingdom, this fast-moving bird of prey was persecuted to near disappearance and just began to recover in rural regions during the mid-20th century. It remains commonly targeted on shooting estates and hunting grounds.

Thriving in Continental Cities

In different parts of Europe, the goshawk is thriving – even in bustling cities such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and the Czech capital. From a public garden in the city, where a large nest sat in the crown of a tree under 100 metres from a war memorial, the "phantom of the forest" preys on pigeons in the roads and even rests on building tops.

The raptors have adjusted to busy traffic – although high glass buildings still present a threat – and are far more comfortable with the steady stream of pet owners, joggers, and schoolchildren than their forest-dwelling counterparts would be with humans.

"It is just like any park in the UK, that's the amazing aspect," said the director of a conservation initiative, which aims to bring goshawks to two UK cities in the initial phase of a project introducing them to cities. "It proves this can be accomplished quickly – with little difficulty, but with great enthusiasm."

Assisted Colonisation Proposal

The expert is planning to submit a application for the "urban reintroduction" of the northern goshawk to the authorities in the near future; the plan foresees the release of 15 birds in both of the two cities, obtained as juveniles from wild continental nests and UK aviaries.

He expects they will come to the rescue of Britain's beleaguered garden birds by preying on mid-sized predators such as crows, black-and-white birds, and jackdaws, whose populations have grown without control and threatened birds lower on the food chain.

Their presence should have an immediate impact on the "brazen" mid-sized birds that prey on smaller ones that people love, says the conservationist, pointing to a comparable effect observed in wolves. "This is what's known as an landscape of fear. Everyone knows the apex predators are in the city."

Possible Challenges and Dangers

Rewilding efforts across Europe have encountered fierce opposition from farmers and activist groups in recent years, as large carnivores such as wolves and bears have come back to lands now populated by people. As their numbers have grown, they have begun to consume farm animals and in some cases attack humans.

The introduction of the goshawk into city England is unlikely to trigger a similar resistance – the species already reside in other parts of the country, and animal guardians and urban gardeners have little to fear from them – but the species has caused tensions even in urban centers it has long called home.

In Berlin, where an approximate 100 mated couples constitute the largest concentration in the globe, and other European towns, goshawks have turned into the target of bird fanciers whose birds are being eaten.

A researcher who has researched raptor adaptation to urban environments used GPS trackers to monitor 60 goshawks as part of her PhD, and says that although there could be possible advantages from using goshawks to regulate mid-level predators in UK cities, young birds taken from rural homes may find it hard to adapt to city life and emphasized the importance to involve all stakeholders from the start. "In general, it's a risky endeavour."

Expert Opinions

An ornithologist who has examined hawk behavior in non-urban Britain said it was unclear if the raptors would decide to remain in cities and improbable that the proposed numbers would be sufficient to have a significant beneficial impact on backyard species numbers. "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 upbeat about the initiative's chances. The expert, who has in the past been awarded a permit to track the Highland tiger and was a scientific consultant for a program that brought the great bustard back to the United Kingdom, contends that approaching releases in a "humane way" is the key to success.

Previous Rewilding Attempts

The conservationist's first effort to reintroduce wild cats to the UK was rejected by the environment official on the recommendation of the nature body in recent years. A draft proposal for a trial release has also met opposition, although the head of the environmental body recently showed enthusiasm about the idea of reintroducing the feline predator during his two-year tenure.

If the hawk initiative goes ahead, the birds will be fitted with GPS transmitters – an task expected to account for almost half of the estimated project cost of £110,000 – and be given a regular supply of nourishment for as much as is required after being freed. In the German city, the expert highlighted the mental benefit of urban residents being able to spot a hunter as secretive as the goshawk while they go about their daily routines, rather than locating conservation projects exclusively in countryside locations.

"It will inject such thrill," he declared. "People go to the green space to give food to pigeons. Soon they'll be traveling to see hawks."