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Emitting quick keck-keck-keck cries that resounded across a downtown Berlin park, the large hawks climbed high over the treetops and circled before plunging downwards to scatter a ragged flock of crows that had begun to harass them.

"It's basically a soaring Batman enforcing justice to the urban environment," stated a conservationist, observing the large pale-bellied birds through binoculars. "They are akin to fighter jets."

The Accipiter gentilis is an apex predator – and conservationists aspire it will soon deliver wonder and delight to UK cities, mirroring its success in European metropolises. In the UK, this swift bird of prey was hunted to near disappearance and only began to recover in countryside regions during the mid-20th century. It is still commonly targeted on private lands and grouse moors.

Flourishing in European Capitals

In different parts of Europe, the goshawk is doing well – even in busy capitals such as Berlin, Amsterdam, and the Czech capital. From a park in the city, where a sizable nest sat in the top of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the elusive hunter preys on city birds in the roads and even perches on building tops.

The birds have adapted to busy traffic – while tall glass buildings still pose a threat – and are much more comfortable with the constant flow of pet owners, joggers, and kids than their woodland relatives would be with humans.

"This is just like any park in the United Kingdom, that's the amazing aspect," said the director of a rewilding project, which plans to bring these raptors to Chester and London in the first stage of a program introducing them to cities. "It demonstrates this can be done swiftly – with little difficulty, but with so much excitement."

Assisted Colonisation Proposal

The expert is planning to submit a proposal for the "urban reintroduction" of the goshawk to the regulator in the coming weeks; the plan foresees the release of 15 birds in both of the selected urban areas, sourced as chicks from natural European eyries and British aviaries.

He expects they will provide help of Britain's beleaguered songbirds by preying on mid-sized predators such as crows, black-and-white birds, and small crows, whose populations 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 the public love, says the conservationist, referencing a comparable phenomenon documented in wolves. "It's what's called an ecology of fear. Everyone knows the big guys are in town."

Potential Hurdles and Dangers

Conservation projects across Europe have faced strong opposition from agricultural workers and political groups in recent years, as large carnivores such as wild canines and ursines have come back to territories now inhabited by humans. As their populations have grown, they have started to eat farm animals and in certain instances confront individuals.

The introduction of the goshawk into urban England is unlikely to spark a similar backlash – the birds already live in different parts of the country, and pet-owners and city residents have minimal to worry about from them – but the species has created tensions even in cities it has long called home.

In the German capital, where an estimated 100 breeding pairs represent the highest-known concentration in the globe, and additional European cities, goshawks have turned into the target of pigeon and chicken breeders whose animals are being eaten.

A scientist who has studied goshawk adjustment to city environments used GPS trackers to follow 60 birds as part of her PhD, and says that although there could be potential advantages from using these predators to control mid-level predators in British urban areas, young birds taken from countryside nests may struggle to adjust to urban life and stressed the need to include all stakeholders from the start. "In general, it's a hazardous business."

Expert Opinions

An ecologist who has examined goshawk behavior in non-urban England commented it was uncertain if the raptors would decide to remain in cities and improbable that the suggested numbers would be sufficient to have a significant beneficial effect on garden bird populations. "What will happen of those 15 birds?" he asked. "My guess is they'll likely scatter into the nearest countryside."

The conservationist is nonetheless upbeat about the initiative's prospects. The specialist, who has previously been granted a permit to tag the Scottish wildcat and was a scientific consultant for a project that reintroduced the great bustard back to the United Kingdom, contends that handling releases in a "humane way" is the key to success.

Past Rewilding Attempts

The expert's first effort to bring back lynx to the UK was refused by the environment official on the recommendation of the nature body in recent years. A preliminary application for a trial reintroduction has also faced opposition, although the head of the environmental organization recently showed enthusiasm about the prospect of reintroducing the feline predator during his 24-month tenure.

If the hawk project goes ahead, the birds will be equipped with GPS transmitters – an endeavour projected to account for almost 50% of the estimated budget of £110,000 – and be provided a steady supply of food for as much as is needed after being freed. In the German city, the conservationist highlighted the psychological advantage of city-dwellers being able to spot a hunter as secretive as the goshawk while they go about their lives, rather than placing conservation projects exclusively in rural areas.

"It will inject such thrill," he said. "Individuals go to the park to give food to pigeons. In the future they'll be traveling to observe goshawks."