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Emitting rapid keck-keck-keck cries that resounded across a downtown Berlin green space, the goshawks climbed far over the canopy and circled before diving down to chase off a ragged group of black birds that had begun to mob them.

"They are basically a soaring Batman enforcing justice to the urban environment," remarked a conservationist, observing the large pale-bellied birds through binoculars. "They are like stealth bombers."

The goshawk is an apex predator – and experts hope it will soon deliver awe and joy to British cities, following its presence in German metropolises. In the United Kingdom, this swift raptor was hunted to near disappearance and just began to bounce back in countryside regions during the 1960s. It is still commonly targeted on shooting estates and grouse moors.

Flourishing in European Capitals

In other parts of the continent, the goshawk is doing well – even in busy capitals such as the German capital, Amsterdam, and the Czech capital. From a park in the city, where a large eyrie rested in the crown of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the "phantom of the forest" hunts pigeons in the streets and even rests on building tops.

The raptors have adapted to busy vehicle flow – although tall glass buildings still present a threat – and are much more at ease with the constant flow of pet owners, runners, and kids than their forest-dwelling counterparts would be with people.

"This is just like any green space in the United Kingdom, that's the magical thing," said the director of a rewilding initiative, which aims to introduce these raptors to two UK cities in the first stage of a program reintroducing them to urban environments. "It proves this can be done swiftly – with little much fuss, but with great enthusiasm."

Assisted Colonisation Proposal

The conservationist is planning to submit a application for the "assisted colonisation" of the goshawk to the regulator in the near future; the scheme foresees the freeing of 15 birds in both of the selected urban areas, obtained as chicks from wild European nests and British breeders.

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

Their presence should have an instant effect on the "bold" medium-sized birds that attack tiny species that people love, says the conservationist, referencing a similar phenomenon documented in wolves. "This is what's called an landscape of fear. Everyone knows the big guys are in town."

Possible Hurdles and Risks

Conservation efforts across Europe have faced strong opposition from agricultural workers and activist groups in recent years, as big carnivores such as wolves and bears have returned to lands now populated by people. As their numbers have grown, they have begun to eat farm animals and in certain instances confront individuals.

The introduction of the goshawk into city England is unlikely to trigger a similar resistance – the birds already reside in other parts of the nation, and animal guardians and city residents have little to worry about from them – but the species has caused conflicts even in cities it has inhabited for years.

In Berlin, where an estimated 100 mated couples constitute the largest density in the globe, and additional German towns, goshawks have become the target of bird fanciers whose birds are being eaten.

A scientist who has researched raptor adjustment to urban environments employed GPS transmitters to follow 60 birds as part of her PhD, and says that while there could be possible advantages from using goshawks to control mesopredators in British urban areas, chicks taken from countryside homes may find it hard to adapt to city life and emphasized the need to involve all stakeholders early on. "Overall, it's a hazardous endeavour."

Scientific Views

An ecologist who has studied goshawk behaviour in non-urban Britain said it was uncertain if the birds would decide to stay in cities and unlikely that the suggested numbers would be enough to have a noticeable positive effect on backyard species numbers. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he said. "My guess is they'll probably scatter into the nearest rural areas."

The conservationist is nonetheless optimistic about the initiative's chances. The expert, who has in the past been awarded a permit to track the Highland tiger and was a scientific adviser for a project that brought the great bustard back to the United Kingdom, argues that approaching reintroductions in a "humane way" is the key to success.

Previous Reintroduction Efforts

The expert's initial effort to bring back lynx to the United Kingdom was rejected by the environment secretary on the advice of the nature body in recent years. A draft proposal for a test release has also met resistance, even though the head of the environmental organization recently showed enthusiasm about the idea of reintroducing the feline predator during his two-year tenure.

If the goshawk initiative goes ahead, the raptors will be equipped with GPS devices – an endeavour expected to account for almost half of the estimated budget of £110,000 – and be given a steady supply of food for as long as is required after being released. In Berlin, the expert stressed the mental advantage of city-dwellers being able to observe a hunter as secretive as the goshawk while they go about their daily routines, rather than locating conservation projects exclusively in countryside areas.

"It'll inject such excitement," he declared. "People go to the park to feed pigeons. In the future they'll be going to see hawks."