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Emitting rapid keck-keck-keck sounds that echoed across a downtown Berlin green space, the large hawks climbed far over the treetops and wheeled before diving down to chase off a ragged flock of black birds that had begun to harass them.

"They are essentially a flying Batman enforcing law and order to the urban environment," remarked a wildlife expert, watching the sizable pale-bellied birds through binoculars. "They're like stealth bombers."

The Accipiter gentilis is an top predator – and conservationists aspire it will soon bring awe and delight to British cities, following its success in German metropolises. In the UK, this fast-moving raptor was hunted to near extinction and only started to bounce back in rural areas during the 1960s. It is still commonly persecuted on private lands and grouse moors.

Thriving in European Cities

In different parts of the continent, the northern goshawk is doing well – even in bustling capitals such as the German capital, Amsterdam, and Prague. From a public garden in Berlin, where a large eyrie rested in the top of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the "phantom of the forest" preys on city birds in the streets and even perches on rooftops.

The raptors have adjusted to heavy traffic – while high transparent structures still pose a danger – and are much more at ease with the constant flow of pet owners, runners, and schoolchildren than their forest-dwelling counterparts would be with people.

"It is just like any green space in the United Kingdom, that's the magical aspect," commented the director of a rewilding initiative, which aims to bring these raptors to two UK cities in the first stage of a project reintroducing them to cities. "It demonstrates this can be accomplished swiftly – without difficulty, but with great enthusiasm."

Urban Reintroduction Proposal

The conservationist is preparing to present a proposal for the "urban reintroduction" of the goshawk to the authorities in the near future; the scheme envisions the release of 15 birds in each of the two cities, sourced as chicks from wild European nests and UK breeders.

He hopes they will come to the rescue of Britain's beleaguered garden birds by hunting mid-sized predators such as crows, magpies, and jackdaws, whose populations have increased without control and threatened birds further down the ecological pyramid.

Their arrival should have an instant effect on the "brazen" medium-sized birds that attack smaller ones that people adore, explains the scientist, referencing a similar effect documented in wolves. "It's what's called an ecology of fear. Everybody knows the big guys are in town."

Possible Challenges and Risks

Rewilding projects across the continent have faced strong opposition from agricultural workers and political groups in the past decade, as large predators such as wolves and ursines have come back to lands now inhabited by humans. As their populations have grown, they have begun to consume livestock and in certain instances confront individuals.

The reintroduction of the goshawk into city Britain is unlikely to trigger a comparable backlash – the birds already reside in different parts of the nation, and pet-owners and city residents have little to worry about from them – but the bird has caused tensions even in urban centers it has inhabited for years.

In Berlin, where an estimated 100 breeding pairs constitute the largest concentration in the world, and additional European towns, these hawks have become the focus of bird fanciers whose birds are being consumed.

A scientist who has studied raptor adjustment to urban environments used GPS trackers to follow 60 birds as part of her doctorate, and states that while there could be possible advantages from employing goshawks to control mesopredators in UK urban areas, young birds removed from rural homes may find it hard to adjust to urban life and emphasized the importance to include all stakeholders from the start. "Overall, it's a risky business."

Expert Opinions

An ecologist who has studied hawk behaviour in rural Britain said it was uncertain if the raptors would choose to remain in cities and unlikely that the proposed quantity would be enough to have a significant positive impact on backyard species populations. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he said. "My guess is they'll probably disperse into the closest countryside."

The conservationist is nonetheless optimistic about the initiative's chances. The expert, who has previously been awarded a licence to track the Highland tiger and was a scientific adviser for a project that brought the large bird back to the United Kingdom, argues that handling releases in a "welfare-based manner" is the essential element to achievement.

Past Rewilding Efforts

The conservationist's initial attempt to bring back lynx to the UK was rejected by the environment official on the advice of the wildlife agency in recent years. A preliminary proposal for a test release has also faced resistance, even though the head of the environmental organization recently expressed interest about the prospect of releasing lynx during his two-year tenure.

If the hawk initiative proceeds, the birds will be fitted with GPS transmitters – an task projected to represent almost half of the estimated project cost of £110,000 – and be provided a regular supply of nourishment for as long as is required after being released. In the German city, the conservationist stressed the mental benefit of city-dwellers being able to spot a hunter as elusive as the raptor while they conduct their daily routines, rather than locating conservation schemes only in rural areas.

"It'll inject such excitement," he declared. "Individuals visit the green space to give food to birds. Soon they'll be traveling to see goshawks."