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Releasing swift keck-keck-keck calls that rang out across a central Berlin green space, the large hawks soared high above the canopy and wheeled before swooping downwards to scatter a disorganized group of black birds that had started to mob them.

"It's basically a flying superhero bringing law and order to the city," stated a conservationist, watching the large pale-bellied birds through a telescope. "They are like stealth bombers."

The Accipiter gentilis is an apex predator – and conservationists hope it will soon deliver awe and delight to UK cities, mirroring its success in German urban areas. In the UK, this swift bird of prey was hunted to near extinction and only began to bounce back in countryside areas during the mid-20th century. It is still widely targeted on shooting estates and grouse moors.

Flourishing in European Capitals

In other parts of the continent, the goshawk is thriving – even in bustling capitals such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and the Czech capital. From a park in the city, where a large nest rested in the crown of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the elusive hunter preys on city birds in the roads and even rests on building tops.

The raptors have adjusted to heavy vehicle flow – while tall transparent structures still pose a threat – and are far more comfortable with the steady stream of pet owners, runners, and schoolchildren than their forest-dwelling relatives would be with people.

"It is similar to any park in the UK, that's the amazing aspect," said the director of a conservation initiative, which aims to introduce these raptors to two UK cities in the first stage of a program reintroducing them to cities. "It proves this can be done quickly – without much fuss, but with great excitement."

Assisted Colonisation Plan

The conservationist is planning to submit a proposal for the "assisted colonisation" of the goshawk to the authorities in the coming weeks; the plan envisions the release of 15 birds in each of the selected urban areas, obtained as juveniles from natural European eyries and UK aviaries.

He expects they will come to the rescue of the UK's beleaguered 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 food chain.

Their presence should have an instant impact on the "bold" medium-sized birds that prey on smaller ones that people adore, says the conservationist, referencing a comparable effect documented in canine predators. "It's what's called an landscape of fear. Everyone realizes the apex predators are in the city."

Possible Hurdles and Dangers

Conservation projects across the continent have faced fierce opposition from agricultural workers and activist factions in the past decade, as big carnivores such as wolves and ursines have returned to lands now inhabited by humans. As their numbers have grown, they have begun to eat farm animals and in some cases confront humans.

The introduction of the raptor into urban Britain is not expected to spark a comparable resistance – the birds currently reside in different parts of the nation, and animal guardians and urban gardeners have minimal to fear from them – but the species has caused tensions even in cities it has long called home.

In Berlin, where an estimated 100 breeding pairs represent the largest density in the globe, and other European towns, goshawks have turned into the focus of pigeon and chicken breeders whose animals are being eaten.

A scientist who has studied goshawk adjustment to urban environments used GPS trackers to follow 60 birds as part of her doctorate, and states that while there could be potential benefits from employing goshawks to regulate mid-level predators in British urban areas, young birds removed from rural homes may struggle to adjust to urban life and stressed the importance to involve all interested parties from the start. "In general, it's a hazardous endeavour."

Scientific Views

An ecologist who has studied goshawk behaviour in non-urban Britain commented it was unclear if the raptors would decide to remain in cities and unlikely that the proposed numbers would be sufficient to have a noticeable positive impact on garden bird populations. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he said. "I suspect is they'll probably disperse into the nearest rural areas."

The conservationist is nevertheless upbeat about the initiative's chances. The expert, who has previously been granted a permit to track the Highland tiger and was a technical adviser for a project that reintroduced the great bustard back to the UK, argues that handling releases in a "humane way" is the essential element to achievement.

Previous Rewilding Attempts

The conservationist's first effort to bring back lynx to the United Kingdom was refused by the environment secretary on the advice of the nature agency in recent years. A preliminary application for a test release has also met resistance, although the head of the environmental body lately expressed interest about the prospect of releasing the feline predator during his two-year tenure.

If the goshawk project goes ahead, the raptors will be equipped with GPS devices – an endeavour projected to account for almost 50% of the projected project cost of £110,000 – and be provided a regular source of food for as much as is required after being released. In the German city, the expert stressed the mental advantage of urban residents being able to observe a hunter as elusive as the raptor while they conduct their lives, rather than locating conservation schemes only in countryside areas.

"It'll bring such excitement," he declared. "Individuals go to the park to feed birds. In the future they'll be traveling to see goshawks."