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Producing rapid keck-keck-keck calls that resounded through a downtown Berlin park, the goshawks soared high above the canopy and circled before plunging downwards to drive away a ragged group of crows that had begun to harass them.

"They are essentially a soaring superhero bringing justice to the city," remarked a wildlife expert, watching the sizable pale-bellied birds through a telescope. "They are akin to fighter jets."

The Accipiter gentilis is an top predator – and conservationists aspire it will soon deliver wonder and delight to UK cities, mirroring its presence in European metropolises. In the United Kingdom, this fast-moving raptor was hunted to virtual extinction and just started to bounce back in rural areas during the mid-20th century. It is still widely targeted on shooting estates and hunting grounds.

Flourishing in European Capitals

In different parts of Europe, the goshawk is thriving – even in busy capitals such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and Prague. From a public garden in the city, where a large nest rested in the top of a tree under 100 metres from a monument, the "phantom of the forest" preys on city birds in the roads and even rests on rooftops.

The birds have adapted to heavy traffic – while high glass buildings still pose a threat – and are far more comfortable with the steady stream of dogwalkers, runners, and schoolchildren than their woodland relatives would be with humans.

"It is similar to any park in the UK, that's the magical aspect," said the head of a rewilding initiative, which aims 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 – with little difficulty, but with great enthusiasm."

Assisted Colonisation Proposal

The expert is preparing to present a application for the "assisted colonisation" of the northern goshawk to the regulator in the near future; the scheme envisions the release of 15 birds in each of the selected urban areas, sourced as juveniles from natural continental eyries and British aviaries.

He expects they will come to the rescue of Britain's struggling garden birds by hunting mesopredators such as corvids, black-and-white birds, and jackdaws, whose numbers have grown unchecked and threatened birds further down the ecological pyramid.

Their presence should have an immediate effect on the "bold" medium-sized birds that prey on smaller ones that the public love, says the conservationist, referencing a similar phenomenon documented in wolves. "This is what's known as an landscape of fear. Everyone knows the big guys are in the city."

Potential Challenges and Risks

Conservation projects throughout Europe have encountered fierce resistance from farmers and activist groups in the past decade, as big carnivores such as wolves and bears have returned to territories now inhabited by people. As their numbers have grown, they have started to eat livestock and in some cases attack individuals.

The introduction of the raptor into urban England is unlikely to spark a comparable resistance – the species currently reside in different parts of the country, and animal guardians and city residents have minimal to worry about from them – but the bird has created conflicts even in urban centers it has long called home.

In Berlin, where an estimated 100 breeding pairs represent the largest concentration in the world, and additional German cities, these hawks have turned into the focus of bird fanciers whose animals are being eaten.

A researcher who has studied raptor adaptation to urban settings used GPS transmitters to monitor 60 goshawks as part of her PhD, and states that although there could be possible benefits from using goshawks to regulate mesopredators in UK urban areas, young birds removed from countryside nests may find it hard to adapt to city life and stressed the need to involve all stakeholders from the start. "Overall, it's a hazardous business."

Expert Opinions

An ornithologist who has studied hawk behavior in non-urban England said it was uncertain if the raptors would choose to remain in urban environments and unlikely that the suggested quantity would be sufficient to have a noticeable positive effect on garden bird numbers. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he said. "I suspect is they'll likely scatter into the closest countryside."

The conservationist is nonetheless optimistic about the initiative's chances. The specialist, who has previously been granted a licence to track the Scottish wildcat and was a scientific consultant for a project that reintroduced the large bird back to the United Kingdom, argues that approaching reintroductions in a "humane way" is the key to success.

Previous Rewilding Attempts

The expert's initial attempt to reintroduce lynx to the UK was rejected by the government secretary on the advice of the wildlife agency in recent years. A draft application for a trial reintroduction has also faced resistance, even though the chair of the nature body lately expressed interest about the idea of releasing the feline predator during his 24-month term.

If the hawk initiative goes ahead, the raptors will be equipped with GPS transmitters – an endeavour expected to account for almost 50% of the estimated project cost of £110,000 – and be given a regular supply of nourishment for as long as is needed after being released. In the German city, the conservationist stressed the mental benefit of urban residents being able to observe a predator as elusive as the goshawk while they conduct their daily routines, rather than placing conservation projects only in rural locations.

"It'll inject such excitement," he said. "People go to the green space to feed birds. Soon they'll be going to see goshawks."