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Emitting quick keck-keck-keck sounds that resounded through a central Berlin green space, the goshawks soared high over the canopy and circled before plunging down to scatter a disorganized flock of crows that had begun to harass them.

"It's basically a flying superhero bringing justice to the city," remarked a wildlife expert, watching the large pale-bellied birds through a telescope. "They are like stealth bombers."

The goshawk is an top predator – and conservationists aspire it will soon bring awe and joy to UK cities, following its success in European metropolises. In the United Kingdom, this fast-moving raptor was hunted to near extinction and just started to recover in rural areas during the 1960s. It remains commonly persecuted on private lands and grouse moors.

Thriving in Continental Capitals

In different parts of the continent, the northern goshawk is doing well – even in bustling capitals such as the German capital, Amsterdam, and the Czech capital. From a park in the city, where a large eyrie rested in the crown of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the elusive hunter preys on city birds in the streets and even perches on rooftops.

The raptors have adjusted to heavy vehicle flow – while tall transparent structures still pose a danger – and are much more at ease with the constant flow of pet owners, joggers, and schoolchildren than their woodland counterparts would be with humans.

"It is similar to any green space in the UK, that's the magical thing," commented the head of a rewilding project, which aims to introduce goshawks to Chester and London in the initial phase of a program reintroducing them to urban environments. "It demonstrates this can be done swiftly – without much fuss, but with so much enthusiasm."

Urban Reintroduction Proposal

The expert is planning to submit a proposal for the "urban reintroduction" of the northern goshawk to the regulator in the coming weeks; the plan foresees the release of 15 birds in both of the two cities, obtained as chicks from wild European nests and UK breeders.

He hopes they will come to the rescue of the UK's beleaguered garden birds by hunting mid-sized predators such as corvids, black-and-white birds, and jackdaws, whose populations have increased unchecked and threatened birds lower on the food chain.

Their presence should have an immediate impact on the "bold" mid-sized birds that prey on smaller ones that the public adore, explains the scientist, referencing a comparable phenomenon documented in canine predators. "This is what's called an ecology of fear. Everybody knows the apex predators are in the city."

Possible Challenges and Risks

Rewilding projects across Europe have encountered strong opposition from farmers and activist groups in recent years, as large predators such as wild canines and bears have returned to lands now inhabited by humans. As their populations have expanded, they have begun to eat farm animals and in certain instances confront individuals.

The reintroduction of the raptor into urban England is not expected to spark a comparable resistance – the species currently reside in other parts of the country, and animal guardians and city residents have minimal to worry about from them – but the species has caused tensions even in cities it has long called home.

In Berlin, where an approximate 100 breeding pairs represent the highest-known density in the globe, and other European towns, goshawks have become the focus of bird fanciers whose birds are being consumed.

A researcher who has researched goshawk adaptation to urban settings used GPS transmitters to monitor 60 goshawks as part of her PhD, and says that while there could be possible benefits from employing goshawks to control mesopredators in UK cities, young birds taken from countryside homes may struggle to adjust to city life and stressed the need to include all interested parties early on. "Overall, it's a hazardous business."

Expert Opinions

An ecologist who has studied goshawk behaviour in rural England commented it was unclear if the birds would decide to stay in cities and unlikely that the suggested quantity would be sufficient to have a noticeable positive impact on backyard species populations. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he said. "I suspect is they'll likely disperse into the closest rural areas."

The conservationist is nevertheless upbeat about the project's chances. The specialist, who has previously been granted a permit to track the Scottish wildcat and was a technical consultant for a program that brought the great bustard back to the UK, contends that handling reintroductions in a "humane way" is the essential element to achievement.

Past Rewilding Efforts

The conservationist's first attempt to bring back wild cats to the UK was refused by the government official on the advice of the nature body in recent years. A draft proposal for a trial reintroduction has also faced opposition, even though the head of the environmental body recently expressed enthusiasm about the idea of releasing the feline predator during his 24-month tenure.

If the goshawk initiative proceeds, the raptors will be fitted with GPS devices – an task projected to represent almost 50% of the projected budget of £110,000 – and be given a steady source of nourishment for as much as is required after being released. In Berlin, the conservationist stressed the mental benefit of city-dwellers being able to observe a hunter as elusive as the raptor while they conduct their daily routines, rather than placing conservation projects exclusively in countryside locations.

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