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Emitting swift keck-keck-keck calls that rang out through a central Berlin park, the goshawks climbed far over the canopy and circled before swooping down to drive away a ragged group of crows that had started to harass them.

"They are basically a flying Batman enforcing justice to the urban environment," remarked a wildlife expert, observing the sizable pale-bellied birds through a telescope. "They are akin to stealth bombers."

The Accipiter gentilis is an apex predator – and experts aspire it will soon bring awe and joy to British cities, mirroring its presence in European urban areas. In the UK, this swift bird of prey was hunted to virtual extinction and only started to bounce back in countryside regions during the 1960s. It is still widely persecuted on shooting estates and grouse moors.

Thriving in Continental Cities

In other parts of Europe, the northern goshawk is doing well – even in bustling cities such as Berlin, Amsterdam, and Prague. From a park in Berlin, where a large eyrie rested in the top of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the elusive hunter preys on pigeons in the roads and even perches on rooftops.

The raptors have adjusted to heavy traffic – while high transparent structures still pose a danger – and are far more comfortable with the constant flow of pet owners, joggers, and kids than their forest-dwelling counterparts would be with humans.

"This is just like any park in the UK, that's the amazing thing," said the head of a rewilding project, which plans to bring goshawks to two UK cities in the initial phase of a program introducing them to urban environments. "It proves this can be done swiftly – with little difficulty, but with great excitement."

Urban Reintroduction Plan

The conservationist is planning to submit a proposal for the "assisted colonisation" of the northern goshawk to the regulator in the coming weeks; the scheme envisions the release of 15 birds in both of the selected urban areas, obtained as juveniles from wild European eyries and British aviaries.

He expects they will provide help of Britain's beleaguered songbirds by preying on mid-sized predators such as crows, magpies, and small crows, whose populations have grown unchecked and endangered birds lower on the food chain.

Their arrival should have an instant impact on the "bold" mid-sized birds that prey on tiny species that people love, says the conservationist, pointing to a comparable effect documented in canine predators. "This is what's known as an landscape of fear. Everyone knows the big guys are in the city."

Potential Hurdles and Risks

Rewilding projects across Europe have encountered fierce opposition from agricultural workers and political groups in the past decade, as large predators such as wild canines and ursines have returned to lands now inhabited by people. As their populations have grown, they have begun to consume farm animals and in some cases confront humans.

The reintroduction of the goshawk into city England is unlikely to trigger a comparable resistance – the species already live in different parts of the country, and pet-owners and city residents have little to fear from them – but the species has caused tensions even in cities it has long called home.

In Berlin, where an estimated 100 mated couples constitute the largest density in the globe, and additional European towns, these hawks have turned into the target of bird fanciers whose animals are being eaten.

A researcher who has researched goshawk adaptation to urban settings employed GPS trackers to monitor 60 goshawks as part of her doctorate, and states that although there could be potential advantages from using these predators to control mid-level predators in UK cities, young birds removed from countryside homes may struggle to adapt to city life and emphasized the importance to include all interested parties from the start. "Overall, it's a hazardous endeavour."

Scientific Views

An ornithologist who has studied goshawk behavior in non-urban England commented it was uncertain if the birds would decide to stay in urban environments and improbable that the suggested numbers would be enough to have a significant beneficial effect on backyard species populations. "What will happen of those 15 birds?" he asked. "My guess is they'll probably scatter into the nearest countryside."

The conservationist is nevertheless optimistic about the project's prospects. The specialist, who has previously been awarded a permit to tag the Highland tiger and was a technical consultant for a program that reintroduced the large bird back to the UK, contends that approaching reintroductions in a "welfare-based manner" is the essential element to success.

Past Rewilding Efforts

The expert's first attempt to reintroduce lynx to the UK was refused by the environment secretary on the recommendation of the nature agency in recent years. A preliminary application for a trial release has also met resistance, even though the chair of the nature organization recently showed interest about the idea of releasing the feline predator during his 24-month tenure.

If the goshawk project goes ahead, the raptors will be fitted with GPS transmitters – an task expected to represent almost 50% of the estimated budget of £110,000 – and be provided a regular supply of nourishment for as much as is needed after being released. In Berlin, the conservationist stressed the mental benefit of city-dwellers being able to spot a predator as elusive as the raptor while they go about their daily routines, rather than locating rewilding projects exclusively in rural areas.

"It'll bring such excitement," he declared. "Individuals go to the park to give food to birds. In the future they'll be going to observe goshawks."