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Releasing rapid keck-keck-keck sounds that rang out through a central Berlin green space, the large hawks soared far over the canopy and wheeled before swooping downwards to scatter a disorganized group of crows that had begun to harass them.

"They are basically a soaring superhero enforcing justice to the city," remarked a wildlife expert, observing the sizable light-breasted birds through binoculars. "They are akin to stealth bombers."

The Accipiter gentilis is an top predator – and conservationists hope it will soon deliver awe and delight to UK cities, following its success in European metropolises. In the UK, this fast-moving raptor was hunted to near extinction and only started to bounce back in countryside regions during the mid-20th century. It remains commonly targeted on shooting estates and grouse moors.

Flourishing in Continental Cities

In other parts of Europe, the goshawk is doing well – even in busy cities such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and the Czech capital. From a public garden in the city, where a large nest sat in the top of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the "phantom of the forest" preys on pigeons in the streets and even rests on building tops.

The birds have adapted to heavy vehicle flow – although tall glass buildings still present a danger – and are far more comfortable with the steady stream of pet owners, joggers, and kids than their woodland counterparts would be with people.

"This is similar to any green space in the United Kingdom, that's the amazing aspect," said the head of a conservation initiative, which plans to bring these raptors to two UK cities in the initial phase of a program reintroducing them to urban environments. "It demonstrates this can be accomplished swiftly – without difficulty, but with great excitement."

Urban Reintroduction Plan

The conservationist is preparing to submit a application for the "urban reintroduction" of the northern goshawk to the regulator in the coming weeks; the scheme foresees the release of 15 birds in each of the two cities, obtained as juveniles from wild European eyries and UK aviaries.

He hopes they will provide help of the UK's beleaguered songbirds by hunting mesopredators such as corvids, black-and-white birds, and small crows, whose numbers have increased unchecked and threatened birds further down the food chain.

Their arrival should have an instant impact on the "bold" mid-sized birds that attack smaller ones that the public love, explains the conservationist, pointing to a similar phenomenon observed in canine predators. "This is what's known as an landscape of fear. Everybody realizes the apex predators are in the city."

Potential Challenges and Dangers

Rewilding projects throughout the continent have encountered strong opposition from farmers and activist factions in the past decade, as big predators such as wild canines and ursines have come back to territories now populated by humans. As their populations have expanded, they have started to eat livestock and in certain instances attack individuals.

The introduction of the raptor into city Britain is unlikely to spark a comparable resistance – the species already live in different parts of the nation, and animal guardians and city residents have little to fear from them – but the species has created tensions even in cities it has long called home.

In the German capital, where an approximate 100 mated couples constitute the largest concentration in the globe, and other European towns, these hawks have become the target of bird fanciers whose birds are being consumed.

A scientist who has researched goshawk adaptation to city environments employed GPS transmitters to monitor 60 goshawks as part of her doctorate, and says that while there could be potential benefits from employing these predators to regulate mid-level predators in UK cities, chicks removed from rural nests may struggle to adapt to city life and stressed the need to include all stakeholders from the start. "In general, it's a hazardous business."

Expert Opinions

An ornithologist who has examined hawk behavior in rural England said it was unclear if the birds would decide to remain in urban environments and unlikely that the suggested quantity would be sufficient to have a noticeable beneficial impact on backyard species populations. "What will happen of those 15 birds?" he said. "My guess is they'll likely scatter into the nearest countryside."

The project leader is nevertheless upbeat about the initiative's prospects. The expert, who has in the past been granted a licence to track the Highland tiger and was a scientific consultant for a project that reintroduced the large bird back to the UK, argues that handling reintroductions in a "humane way" is the essential element to achievement.

Past Reintroduction Attempts

The expert's first attempt to reintroduce wild cats to the UK was refused by the government secretary on the advice of the wildlife agency in recent years. A draft proposal for a test release has also met opposition, although the chair of the nature body lately expressed interest about the idea of reintroducing the feline predator during his 24-month tenure.

If the goshawk initiative proceeds, the birds will be fitted with GPS transmitters – an task expected to account for almost half of the estimated budget of £110,000 – and be provided a steady source of food for as long as is needed after being released. In the German city, the expert stressed the psychological benefit of urban residents being able to spot a hunter as secretive as the raptor while they conduct their daily routines, rather than locating rewilding projects only in rural areas.

"It'll bring such excitement," he said. "Individuals go to the park to feed pigeons. Soon they'll be traveling to see hawks."