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Producing quick keck-keck-keck calls that echoed through a central Berlin green space, the large hawks soared far over the treetops and wheeled before plunging downwards to chase off a ragged flock of black birds that had begun to mob them.

"They are basically a soaring superhero bringing justice to the city," stated a wildlife expert, watching the large pale-bellied birds through binoculars. "They are akin to stealth bombers."

The goshawk is an top predator – and experts aspire it will soon bring awe and joy to UK cities, following its success in German metropolises. In the UK, this swift bird of prey was persecuted to virtual extinction and just began to bounce back in countryside regions during the 1960s. It remains commonly targeted on shooting estates and hunting grounds.

Flourishing in European Capitals

In different parts of the continent, the northern goshawk is doing well – even in busy capitals such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and Prague. From a park in the city, where a sizable eyrie rested in the top of a tree under 100 metres from a monument, the "phantom of the forest" hunts city birds in the roads and even perches on building tops.

The birds have adapted to busy traffic – although tall glass buildings still pose a danger – and are far more at ease with the steady stream of pet owners, runners, and schoolchildren than their woodland relatives would be with humans.

"This is just like any green space in the United Kingdom, that's the amazing thing," commented the director of a rewilding initiative, which aims to introduce goshawks to Chester and London in the first stage of a project reintroducing them to urban environments. "It proves this can be accomplished quickly – with little difficulty, but with so much excitement."

Assisted Colonisation Proposal

The conservationist is preparing to present a application for the "assisted colonisation" of the northern goshawk to the authorities in the coming weeks; the scheme envisions the release of 15 birds in each of the two cities, obtained as juveniles from wild continental nests and British breeders.

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

Their arrival should have an instant impact on the "brazen" mid-sized birds that attack tiny species that people love, explains the scientist, referencing a similar effect observed in wolves. "It's what's known as an landscape of fear. Everyone realizes the big guys are in town."

Possible Hurdles and Risks

Conservation efforts throughout the continent have encountered fierce resistance from agricultural workers and activist groups in recent years, as big carnivores such as wild canines and bears have returned to territories now populated by humans. As their numbers have grown, they have started to eat livestock and in some cases confront individuals.

The reintroduction of the goshawk into urban Britain is not expected to spark a comparable backlash – the birds currently live in different parts of the country, and pet-owners and city residents have little to worry about from them – but the species has created tensions even in cities it has long called home.

In Berlin, where an approximate 100 breeding pairs constitute the largest concentration in the world, and additional European towns, goshawks have become the target of pigeon and chicken breeders whose birds are being eaten.

A scientist who has studied goshawk adjustment to urban environments used GPS trackers to monitor 60 birds as part of her doctorate, and says that although there could be potential benefits from using goshawks to regulate mid-level predators in UK urban areas, young birds taken from countryside homes may find it hard to adapt to urban life and emphasized the importance to include all interested parties early on. "Overall, it's a risky business."

Scientific Opinions

An ecologist who has examined hawk behavior in non-urban Britain said it was unclear if the birds would choose to remain in cities and improbable that the suggested quantity would be enough to have a significant positive effect on backyard species numbers. "What will happen of those 15 birds?" he said. "I suspect is they'll likely disperse into the nearest rural areas."

The project leader is nevertheless upbeat about the initiative's chances. The expert, who has previously been granted a permit to tag the Highland tiger and was a technical consultant for a project that reintroduced the large bird back to the UK, contends that handling releases in a "humane way" is the key to success.

Previous Rewilding Attempts

The expert's initial effort to reintroduce wild cats to the United Kingdom was refused by the government official on the recommendation of the wildlife body in recent years. A preliminary application for a trial reintroduction has also met resistance, even though the head of the environmental body lately expressed enthusiasm about the idea of reintroducing the feline predator during his two-year term.

If the hawk project goes ahead, the birds will be equipped with GPS devices – an task projected to account for almost half of the projected budget of £110,000 – and be provided a steady source of nourishment for as long as is needed after being freed. In Berlin, the expert stressed the psychological benefit of urban residents being able to spot a hunter as secretive as the raptor while they go about their lives, rather than locating conservation projects only in countryside locations.

"It will bring such thrill," he declared. "Individuals visit the green space to feed pigeons. In the future they'll be going to observe hawks."