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Releasing swift keck-keck-keck cries that rang out through a central Berlin green space, the goshawks climbed high above the treetops and circled before plunging down to chase off a ragged flock of crows that had begun to mob them.

"It's essentially a flying Batman enforcing justice to the city," remarked a wildlife expert, watching the large light-breasted birds through binoculars. "They are like stealth bombers."

The goshawk is an apex predator – and experts hope it will soon bring awe and joy to UK cities, mirroring its success in European urban areas. In the UK, this swift bird of prey was hunted to virtual disappearance and only began to recover in rural regions during the 1960s. It is still commonly targeted on shooting estates and grouse moors.

Thriving in European Cities

In different parts of Europe, the goshawk is thriving – even in busy cities such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and Prague. From a public garden in the city, where a sizable nest sat in the top of a tree under 100 metres from a war memorial, the "phantom of the forest" preys on pigeons in the streets and even perches on rooftops.

The raptors have adjusted to busy vehicle flow – while high transparent structures still pose a threat – and are far more comfortable with the steady stream of pet owners, runners, and schoolchildren than their forest-dwelling relatives would be with humans.

"This is just like any green space in the United Kingdom, that's the amazing thing," said the director of a conservation project, which plans to introduce goshawks to Chester and London in the first stage of a project introducing them to cities. "It demonstrates this can be accomplished quickly – with little much fuss, but with great excitement."

Assisted Colonisation Plan

The expert is preparing to submit a application for the "urban reintroduction" of the goshawk to the regulator in the coming weeks; the scheme envisions the freeing of 15 birds in each of the two cities, sourced as chicks from wild continental eyries and British breeders.

He hopes they will come to the rescue of Britain's beleaguered songbirds by hunting mesopredators such as crows, magpies, and jackdaws, whose numbers have grown unchecked and endangered birds lower on the food chain.

Their arrival should have an instant effect on the "bold" mid-sized birds that prey on tiny species that the public adore, says the scientist, pointing to a similar phenomenon documented in canine predators. "This is what's known as an ecology of fear. Everybody realizes the big guys are in town."

Possible Challenges and Dangers

Rewilding projects throughout the continent have encountered fierce resistance from agricultural workers and political groups in recent years, as large predators such as wolves and ursines have returned to territories now populated by humans. As their numbers have grown, they have started to eat farm animals and in some cases confront humans.

The introduction of the raptor into city England is unlikely to trigger a comparable resistance – the birds currently reside in other parts of the nation, and pet-owners and urban gardeners have little to fear from them – but the bird has caused conflicts even in cities it has inhabited for years.

In the German capital, where an approximate 100 mated couples represent the largest density in the globe, and additional German cities, goshawks have become the focus of pigeon and chicken breeders whose birds are being consumed.

A scientist who has studied raptor adjustment to city environments used GPS transmitters to follow 60 goshawks as part of her PhD, and states that although there could be potential advantages from employing goshawks to control mesopredators in British cities, young birds removed from rural homes may struggle to adapt to urban life and emphasized the importance to involve all interested parties early on. "Overall, it's a hazardous business."

Scientific Views

An ornithologist who has examined goshawk behavior in rural England commented it was unclear if the birds would decide to stay in urban environments and unlikely that the proposed quantity would be enough to have a significant positive effect on backyard species populations. "What will happen of those 15 birds?" he said. "I suspect is they'll probably disperse into the nearest rural areas."

The project leader is nonetheless upbeat about the project's prospects. The specialist, who has previously been awarded a permit to track the Highland tiger and was a scientific adviser for a program that brought the great bustard back to the UK, argues that approaching releases in a "humane way" is the key to success.

Previous Reintroduction Attempts

The conservationist's first attempt to reintroduce lynx to the UK was rejected by the environment secretary on the recommendation of the wildlife agency in 2018. A draft application for a test release has also met opposition, although the head of the environmental body recently expressed interest about the prospect of reintroducing lynx during his 24-month tenure.

If the goshawk initiative goes ahead, the raptors will be fitted with GPS transmitters – an task projected to account for almost half of the estimated budget of £110,000 – and be provided a regular source of nourishment for as long as is required after being freed. In the German city, the expert stressed the psychological benefit of city-dwellers being able to spot a hunter as elusive as the goshawk while they go about their daily routines, rather than placing rewilding schemes exclusively in rural locations.

"It'll inject such thrill," he said. "People go to the park to give food to birds. In the future they'll be going to see hawks."