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Emitting rapid keck-keck-keck cries that echoed through a central Berlin park, the goshawks soared high above the canopy and circled before plunging down to drive away a ragged group of black birds that had begun to mob them.

"It's basically a flying superhero bringing justice to the city," stated a conservationist, observing the large pale-bellied birds through a telescope. "They're like fighter jets."

The goshawk is an apex predator – and experts hope it will soon bring wonder and joy to British cities, mirroring its success in European metropolises. In the UK, this swift raptor was hunted to near disappearance and only started to recover in rural areas during the 1960s. It is still commonly targeted on private lands and hunting grounds.

Thriving in Continental Capitals

In other parts of Europe, the goshawk is doing well – even in busy capitals such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and Prague. From a park in Berlin, where a sizable nest rested in the top of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the "phantom of the forest" hunts pigeons in the roads and even perches on rooftops.

The birds have adjusted to heavy vehicle flow – although tall transparent structures still pose a threat – and are far more comfortable with the steady stream of dogwalkers, runners, and schoolchildren than their woodland relatives would be with people.

"It is just like any park in the UK, that's the magical thing," said the head of a rewilding initiative, which aims to introduce goshawks to two UK cities in the initial phase of a program introducing them to cities. "It demonstrates this can be done quickly – with little difficulty, but with so much enthusiasm."

Assisted Colonisation Plan

The conservationist is preparing to submit a proposal for the "assisted colonisation" of the goshawk to the regulator in the coming weeks; the plan envisions the release of 15 birds in each of the selected urban areas, sourced as juveniles from wild continental nests and UK breeders.

He expects they will provide help of Britain's struggling songbirds by hunting mid-sized predators such as crows, black-and-white birds, and small crows, whose numbers have increased unchecked and threatened birds further down the ecological pyramid.

Their arrival should have an immediate effect on the "bold" mid-sized birds that prey on tiny species that the public adore, says the conservationist, referencing a similar phenomenon documented in canine predators. "It's what's known as an ecology of fear. Everyone realizes the big guys are in the city."

Potential Challenges and Risks

Conservation projects throughout Europe have faced fierce resistance from agricultural workers and activist factions in the past decade, as large carnivores such as wild canines and ursines have come back to territories now populated by humans. As their numbers have expanded, they have begun to eat livestock and in some cases confront humans.

The introduction of the raptor into urban England is not expected to trigger a similar backlash – the species already live in different parts of the nation, and pet-owners and urban gardeners have minimal to worry about from them – but the bird has caused tensions even in cities it has inhabited for years.

In Berlin, where an approximate 100 mated couples constitute the highest-known density in the world, and additional European towns, goshawks have become the target of bird fanciers whose birds are being eaten.

A scientist who has researched raptor adjustment to city settings used GPS trackers to monitor 60 birds as part of her doctorate, and states that while there could be potential advantages from employing goshawks to control mid-level predators in British cities, young birds taken from countryside nests may struggle to adapt to urban life and stressed the need to involve all interested parties early on. "Overall, it's a hazardous business."

Expert Views

An ornithologist who has studied goshawk behaviour in rural Britain commented it was unclear if the birds would decide to stay in cities and unlikely that the suggested quantity would be enough to have a noticeable beneficial effect on backyard species numbers. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he asked. "My guess is they'll probably scatter into the closest rural areas."

The project leader is nevertheless optimistic about the project's prospects. The specialist, who has in the past been awarded a permit to tag the Scottish wildcat and was a scientific adviser for a program that reintroduced the great bustard back to the United Kingdom, argues that approaching reintroductions in a "humane way" is the essential element to achievement.

Past Rewilding Attempts

The expert's first attempt to bring back lynx to the UK was refused by the environment official on the recommendation of the nature body in 2018. A preliminary application for a test reintroduction has also met resistance, although the chair of the nature organization recently expressed interest about the prospect of reintroducing lynx during his two-year tenure.

If the hawk project goes ahead, the birds will be fitted with GPS devices – an endeavour projected to represent almost half of the projected project cost of £110,000 – and be provided a steady source of nourishment for as much as is required after being freed. In Berlin, the conservationist highlighted the mental benefit of urban residents being able to spot a hunter as elusive as the goshawk while they go about their lives, rather than locating rewilding projects only in countryside areas.

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