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Releasing rapid keck-keck-keck sounds that rang out through a central Berlin green space, the goshawks soared far over the treetops and circled before diving down to chase off a ragged flock of black birds that had started to mob them.

"They are basically a soaring Batman enforcing justice to the urban environment," stated a wildlife expert, watching the sizable light-breasted birds through binoculars. "They are like stealth bombers."

The Accipiter gentilis is an apex predator – and experts hope it will soon deliver awe and delight to British cities, following its success in European urban areas. In the United Kingdom, this swift bird of prey was persecuted to virtual extinction and only began to recover in rural regions during the mid-20th century. It is still widely persecuted on shooting estates and hunting grounds.

Thriving in Continental Cities

In other parts of the continent, the northern goshawk is doing well – even in bustling cities such as Berlin, Amsterdam, and the Czech capital. From a public garden in Berlin, where a sizable nest sat in the crown of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the "phantom of the forest" hunts city birds in the streets and even rests on building tops.

The raptors have adapted to heavy traffic – while high transparent structures still present a danger – and are far more comfortable with the constant flow of pet owners, joggers, and kids than their forest-dwelling counterparts would be with humans.

"It is similar to any park in the United Kingdom, that's the magical thing," said the director of a rewilding initiative, which plans to introduce goshawks to two UK cities in the initial phase of a program introducing them to urban environments. "It demonstrates this can be done quickly – without much fuss, but with so much excitement."

Assisted Colonisation Plan

The conservationist is preparing to present a proposal for the "urban reintroduction" of the northern goshawk to the authorities in the near future; the scheme envisions the freeing of 15 birds in each of the selected urban areas, sourced as chicks from wild European nests and British aviaries.

He hopes they will come to the rescue of the UK's struggling songbirds by hunting mesopredators such as crows, black-and-white birds, and small crows, whose numbers have grown unchecked and endangered birds further down the ecological pyramid.

Their arrival should have an instant impact on the "bold" mid-sized birds that attack tiny species that the public adore, says the scientist, referencing a similar phenomenon observed in wolves. "It's what's known as an ecology of fear. Everyone realizes the apex predators are in town."

Possible Challenges and Risks

Rewilding efforts throughout the continent have faced fierce resistance from farmers and political factions in the past decade, as large carnivores such as wild canines and ursines have returned to lands now populated by humans. As their numbers have expanded, they have begun to eat farm animals and in some cases confront humans.

The reintroduction of the goshawk into urban Britain is unlikely to spark a similar resistance – the birds 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 long called home.

In Berlin, where an estimated 100 mated couples represent the largest concentration in the globe, and other European cities, these hawks have become the focus of bird fanciers whose animals are being consumed.

A researcher who has studied raptor adaptation to urban settings used GPS trackers to monitor 60 birds as part of her PhD, and states that while there could be possible advantages from using these predators to regulate mesopredators in British cities, young birds removed from rural nests may struggle to adapt to urban life and stressed the importance to include all interested parties early on. "In general, it's a hazardous business."

Expert Opinions

An ecologist who has examined hawk behavior in non-urban Britain said it was unclear if the raptors would decide to remain in cities and improbable that the suggested numbers would be enough to have a noticeable positive effect on backyard species populations. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he said. "I suspect is they'll likely disperse 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 permit to tag the Scottish wildcat and was a technical adviser for a program that reintroduced the large bird back to the United Kingdom, contends that approaching reintroductions in a "welfare-based manner" is the key to achievement.

Past Rewilding Attempts

The conservationist's first attempt to bring back wild cats to the UK was refused by the environment secretary on the recommendation of the nature agency in 2018. A preliminary application for a test release has also faced resistance, although the chair of the nature body lately expressed interest about the prospect of reintroducing lynx during his two-year tenure.

If the goshawk project goes ahead, the raptors will be fitted with GPS transmitters – an endeavour expected to represent almost half of the estimated project cost of £110,000 – and be given a regular supply of food for as much as is needed after being released. In Berlin, the expert stressed the psychological benefit of urban residents being able to observe a hunter as secretive as the raptor while they conduct their lives, rather than placing rewilding projects exclusively in countryside locations.

"It will bring such thrill," he declared. "People go to the park to give food to birds. In the future they'll be traveling to see goshawks."