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Producing quick keck-keck-keck calls that resounded through a central Berlin park, the goshawks climbed high above the canopy and circled before diving downwards to scatter a disorganized flock of black birds that had begun to mob them.

"It's essentially a soaring Batman bringing justice to the urban environment," remarked a conservationist, watching the sizable light-breasted birds through binoculars. "They are like fighter jets."

The goshawk is an top predator – and experts hope it will soon deliver wonder and delight to UK cities, mirroring its success in European urban areas. In the UK, this fast-moving bird of prey was hunted to virtual extinction and only began to bounce back in countryside regions during the 1960s. It remains commonly persecuted on private lands and grouse moors.

Flourishing in Continental Cities

In other parts of Europe, the goshawk is thriving – even in busy capitals such as Berlin, Amsterdam, and Prague. From a public garden in the city, where a sizable eyrie rested in the top of a tree less than 100 metres from a war memorial, the "phantom of the forest" preys on city birds in the streets and even rests on building tops.

The raptors have adapted to heavy vehicle flow – while tall transparent structures still present a danger – and are far more comfortable with the constant flow of dogwalkers, runners, and kids than their forest-dwelling counterparts would be with people.

"This is similar to any park in the United Kingdom, that's the amazing aspect," said the head of a conservation project, which plans to bring these raptors to two UK cities in the initial phase of a project introducing them to cities. "It demonstrates this can be accomplished quickly – with little difficulty, but with so much enthusiasm."

Assisted Colonisation Plan

The expert is preparing to present a application for the "urban reintroduction" of the northern goshawk to the regulator in the near future; the scheme foresees the release of 15 birds in each of the selected urban areas, sourced as chicks from wild European nests and UK breeders.

He expects they will provide help of the UK's struggling garden birds by hunting mid-sized predators such as corvids, black-and-white birds, and jackdaws, whose numbers have increased unchecked and threatened birds further down the food chain.

Their presence should have an instant effect on the "brazen" mid-sized birds that attack tiny species that people adore, says the conservationist, pointing to a comparable effect observed in wolves. "This is what's called an ecology of fear. Everybody realizes the apex predators are in town."

Possible Hurdles and Dangers

Conservation efforts across Europe have faced strong resistance from agricultural workers and activist groups in the past decade, as big carnivores such as wolves and bears have returned to territories now populated by humans. As their numbers have grown, they have begun to consume livestock and in some cases confront humans.

The reintroduction of the goshawk into city England is unlikely to trigger a comparable backlash – the species already reside in different parts of the country, and pet-owners and urban gardeners have little to fear from them – but the bird has caused conflicts even in urban centers it has long called home.

In the German capital, where an approximate 100 mated couples constitute the largest density in the world, and other German towns, goshawks have become the target of bird fanciers whose animals are being eaten.

A researcher who has researched raptor adjustment to city environments used GPS transmitters to monitor 60 birds as part of her PhD, and states that although there could be possible benefits from using these predators to regulate mesopredators in British cities, chicks removed from rural homes may struggle to adjust to city life and stressed the importance to include all interested parties early on. "In general, it's a risky endeavour."

Expert Views

An ecologist who has examined goshawk behavior in non-urban England commented it was uncertain if the raptors would choose to remain in cities and improbable that the suggested quantity would be sufficient to have a noticeable positive effect on backyard species numbers. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he asked. "I suspect is they'll likely disperse into the nearest rural areas."

The conservationist is nonetheless upbeat about the initiative's chances. The expert, who has in the past been granted a permit to tag the Scottish wildcat and was a scientific consultant for a program that brought the great bustard back to the United Kingdom, contends that handling releases in a "humane way" is the key to achievement.

Past Reintroduction Efforts

The conservationist's initial effort to reintroduce lynx to the UK was rejected by the government official on the advice of the nature agency in 2018. A preliminary application for a trial reintroduction has also faced opposition, even though the chair of the nature organization recently expressed interest about the idea of reintroducing the feline predator during his 24-month tenure.

If the hawk project proceeds, the birds will be fitted with GPS transmitters – an task projected to represent almost 50% of the estimated project cost of £110,000 – and be provided a regular source of nourishment for as much as is needed after being released. In Berlin, the expert stressed the mental advantage of city-dwellers being able to observe a predator as elusive as the goshawk while they conduct their lives, rather than placing conservation projects only in rural areas.

"It'll inject such thrill," he said. "Individuals go to the park to feed pigeons. In the future they'll be going to see goshawks."