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Emitting quick keck-keck-keck calls that echoed through a downtown Berlin green space, the large hawks soared far above the canopy and circled before plunging downwards to drive away a disorganized group of black birds that had begun to mob them.

"They are basically a soaring superhero bringing justice to the city," stated a conservationist, observing the sizable pale-bellied birds through binoculars. "They are like stealth bombers."

The Accipiter gentilis is an apex predator – and experts hope it will soon bring awe and delight to UK cities, mirroring its success in German metropolises. In the UK, this swift raptor was persecuted to virtual disappearance and only started to bounce back in rural regions during the 1960s. It is still widely targeted on shooting estates and grouse moors.

Flourishing in European Cities

In other parts of the continent, the northern goshawk is thriving – even in busy cities such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and Prague. From a park in Berlin, where a sizable nest sat in the top of a tree under 100 metres from a monument, the elusive hunter hunts city birds in the streets and even rests on rooftops.

The raptors have adjusted to busy traffic – although tall transparent structures still present a danger – and are much more comfortable with the constant flow of pet owners, joggers, and schoolchildren than their woodland counterparts would be with people.

"It is similar to any park in the United Kingdom, that's the magical thing," said the director of a rewilding initiative, which aims to bring these raptors to two UK cities in the initial phase of a project reintroducing them to cities. "It demonstrates this can be done quickly – without much fuss, but with great excitement."

Urban Reintroduction Proposal

The conservationist is preparing to present a application for the "assisted colonisation" of the goshawk to the authorities in the coming weeks; the scheme foresees the freeing of 15 birds in both of the two cities, obtained as juveniles from wild continental nests and UK aviaries.

He expects they will provide help of Britain's struggling songbirds by hunting mid-sized predators such as corvids, black-and-white birds, and jackdaws, whose populations have grown unchecked and endangered birds lower on the food chain.

Their arrival should have an instant effect on the "brazen" mid-sized birds that prey on tiny species that people adore, explains the conservationist, pointing to a comparable effect documented in wolves. "It's what's known as an landscape of fear. Everyone realizes the big guys are in town."

Potential Hurdles and Risks

Conservation efforts throughout the continent have encountered fierce opposition from farmers and political factions in recent years, as big carnivores such as wild canines and ursines have returned to territories now populated by people. As their numbers have expanded, they have begun to eat livestock and in some cases attack individuals.

The introduction of the raptor into city England is not expected to spark a similar resistance – the species already reside 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 estimated 100 mated couples constitute the highest-known density in the globe, and additional European cities, goshawks have turned into the target of pigeon and chicken breeders whose animals are being eaten.

A researcher who has researched raptor adjustment to city settings used GPS transmitters to follow 60 goshawks as part of her doctorate, and says that while there could be possible benefits from employing goshawks to control mid-level predators in British cities, young birds removed from countryside homes may find it hard to adapt to city life and stressed the need to include all stakeholders early on. "Overall, it's a hazardous endeavour."

Expert Opinions

An ecologist who has examined hawk behaviour in non-urban Britain said it was uncertain if the raptors would decide to remain in cities and improbable that the suggested numbers would be sufficient to have a significant beneficial impact on garden bird numbers. "What will happen of those 15 birds?" he asked. "My guess is they'll likely scatter into the nearest rural areas."

The project leader is nonetheless optimistic about the initiative's prospects. The expert, who has in the past been awarded a permit to track the Highland tiger and was a scientific adviser for a program that brought the large bird back to the United Kingdom, argues that approaching releases in a "humane way" is the essential element to success.

Previous Rewilding Attempts

The expert's initial attempt to bring back lynx to the United Kingdom was refused by the environment secretary on the recommendation of the wildlife agency in recent years. A preliminary proposal for a trial release has also faced resistance, although the chair of the environmental organization recently showed interest about the prospect of reintroducing the feline predator during his two-year tenure.

If the hawk initiative proceeds, the raptors will be fitted with GPS transmitters – an task projected to represent almost 50% of the projected project cost of £110,000 – and be provided a steady supply of nourishment for as long as is required after being freed. In the German city, the conservationist highlighted the mental benefit of city-dwellers being able to spot a hunter as elusive as the goshawk while they conduct their daily routines, rather than locating conservation projects exclusively in rural locations.

"It will inject such excitement," he said. "People visit the park to feed birds. Soon they'll be going to see goshawks."