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Producing rapid keck-keck-keck sounds that echoed through a central Berlin park, the large hawks soared far over the treetops and circled before diving down to drive away a ragged group of crows that had begun to harass them.

"It's essentially a soaring Batman bringing justice to the city," stated a wildlife expert, observing the large pale-bellied birds through a telescope. "They're akin to fighter jets."

The goshawk is an top predator – and experts aspire it will soon bring awe and joy to UK cities, mirroring its success in European urban areas. In the United Kingdom, this swift bird of prey was hunted to virtual extinction and only began to bounce back in rural regions during the 1960s. It remains commonly targeted on shooting estates and hunting grounds.

Flourishing in Continental Cities

In other parts of the continent, the goshawk is doing well – even in busy capitals such as the German capital, Amsterdam, and Prague. From a park in Berlin, where a sizable nest rested in the crown of a tree under 100 metres from a war memorial, the elusive hunter hunts pigeons in the roads and even perches on rooftops.

The birds have adjusted to heavy traffic – while high glass buildings still pose a threat – and are much more at ease with the steady stream of dogwalkers, runners, and schoolchildren than their forest-dwelling counterparts would be with humans.

"This is just like any park in the United Kingdom, that's the amazing thing," commented the director of a rewilding project, which aims to introduce goshawks to two UK cities in the first stage of a project introducing them to cities. "It proves this can be done swiftly – without much fuss, but with so much excitement."

Assisted Colonisation Plan

The expert is planning to present a application for the "assisted colonisation" of the northern goshawk to the regulator in the coming weeks; the plan foresees the freeing of 15 birds in both of the two cities, obtained as juveniles from wild European nests and UK aviaries.

He expects they will come to the rescue of Britain's struggling songbirds by preying on mesopredators such as corvids, black-and-white birds, and small crows, whose populations have grown unchecked and threatened birds further down the food chain.

Their presence should have an immediate effect on the "bold" mid-sized birds that attack tiny species that people adore, explains the scientist, referencing a comparable effect observed in wolves. "It's what's known as an ecology of fear. Everybody knows the apex predators are in the city."

Possible Challenges and Risks

Rewilding efforts throughout Europe have encountered fierce resistance from agricultural workers and political groups in recent years, as large predators such as wolves and ursines have returned to lands now populated by humans. As their numbers have grown, they have begun to consume livestock and in some cases confront humans.

The reintroduction of the goshawk into city Britain is not expected to spark a comparable resistance – the birds currently live in different 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 inhabited for years.

In the German capital, where an estimated 100 breeding pairs constitute the largest concentration in the world, and additional European cities, these hawks have become the target of pigeon and chicken breeders whose birds are being consumed.

A researcher who has researched raptor adaptation to urban environments used GPS trackers to monitor 60 birds as part of her PhD, and states that although there could be potential advantages from employing goshawks to control mesopredators in UK cities, young birds removed from rural homes may find it hard to adapt to city life and emphasized the importance to involve all stakeholders from the start. "Overall, it's a risky endeavour."

Expert Views

An ecologist who has studied hawk behavior in rural Britain said it was uncertain if the birds would choose to remain in urban environments and improbable that the suggested numbers would be sufficient to have a noticeable beneficial effect on garden bird populations. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he asked. "I suspect is they'll probably disperse into the closest countryside."

The project leader is nevertheless optimistic about the project's chances. The specialist, who has in the past been granted a permit to track the Scottish wildcat and was a scientific adviser for a program that reintroduced the great bustard back to the UK, contends that handling releases in a "welfare-based manner" is the key to success.

Previous Reintroduction Efforts

The expert's initial attempt to reintroduce lynx to the UK was rejected by the government official on the recommendation of the wildlife body in recent years. A preliminary application for a test release has also faced opposition, even though the head of the environmental organization recently showed enthusiasm about the prospect of reintroducing the feline predator during his 24-month term.

If the hawk initiative goes ahead, the birds will be fitted with GPS devices – an task expected to represent almost half of the projected budget of £110,000 – and be provided a regular supply of nourishment for as much as is needed after being released. In the German city, the conservationist highlighted the mental advantage of urban residents being able to observe a hunter as elusive as the raptor while they conduct their lives, rather than placing rewilding projects exclusively in countryside areas.

"It will bring such excitement," he declared. "People go to the green space to give food to birds. In the future they'll be traveling to observe hawks."