🔗 Share this article

Emitting swift keck-keck-keck cries that rang out through a downtown Berlin green space, the goshawks climbed high above the canopy and circled before diving down to drive away a disorganized group of crows that had begun to mob them.

"It's essentially a flying Batman enforcing justice to the urban environment," remarked a wildlife expert, watching the large light-breasted birds through a telescope. "They are akin to fighter jets."

The Accipiter gentilis is an apex predator – and conservationists hope it will soon deliver wonder and joy to UK cities, following its presence in German metropolises. In the UK, this fast-moving bird of prey was persecuted to virtual extinction and just began to bounce back in countryside areas during the 1960s. It remains widely targeted on shooting estates and grouse moors.

Thriving in European Capitals

In other parts of Europe, the northern goshawk is doing well – even in bustling capitals such as Berlin, Amsterdam, and Prague. From a park in the city, where a large eyrie sat in the top of a tree less than 100 metres from a war memorial, the elusive hunter hunts city birds in the roads and even perches on building tops.

The birds have adjusted to busy vehicle flow – although tall glass buildings still pose a threat – and are much more comfortable with the constant flow of dogwalkers, runners, and schoolchildren than their forest-dwelling relatives would be with humans.

"It is similar to any green space in the United Kingdom, that's the magical thing," said the head of a conservation initiative, which aims to introduce these raptors to two UK cities in the initial phase of a program reintroducing them to cities. "It demonstrates this can be accomplished swiftly – with little much fuss, 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 near future; the plan foresees the freeing of 15 birds in both of the selected urban areas, obtained as chicks from wild continental nests and British aviaries.

He hopes they will come to the rescue of the UK's beleaguered garden birds by preying on mesopredators such as corvids, black-and-white birds, and jackdaws, whose numbers have grown unchecked and endangered birds lower on the food chain.

Their arrival should have an immediate impact on the "brazen" mid-sized birds that prey on tiny species that people love, explains the conservationist, pointing to a similar effect documented in wolves. "It's what's called an landscape of fear. Everyone realizes the big guys are in town."

Possible Hurdles and Dangers

Conservation efforts across Europe have encountered fierce opposition from farmers and political factions in recent years, as big predators such as wild canines and bears have come back to lands now inhabited by people. As their populations have grown, they have begun to consume livestock and in some cases attack humans.

The introduction of the raptor into urban England is not expected to trigger a similar resistance – the species already reside in other parts of the country, and pet-owners and urban gardeners have minimal to fear from them – but the bird has created tensions even in cities it has long called home.

In the German capital, where an approximate 100 breeding pairs constitute the highest-known concentration in the globe, and additional German towns, these hawks have turned into the focus of pigeon and chicken breeders whose animals are being consumed.

A researcher who has studied raptor adjustment to urban settings used GPS trackers to follow 60 goshawks as part of her doctorate, and says that while there could be potential advantages from employing these predators to control mid-level predators in British cities, chicks removed from rural homes may struggle to adjust to city life and stressed the need to involve all stakeholders early on. "Overall, it's a risky business."

Scientific Views

An ornithologist who has examined hawk behaviour in non-urban England said it was unclear if the raptors would choose to stay in cities and unlikely that the suggested quantity would be sufficient to have a noticeable positive effect on backyard species populations. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he asked. "My guess is they'll likely scatter into the closest countryside."

The conservationist is nevertheless upbeat about the initiative's prospects. The specialist, who has previously been awarded a permit to tag the Highland tiger and was a scientific consultant for a project that reintroduced the large bird back to the United Kingdom, contends that handling reintroductions in a "humane way" is the key to success.

Past Reintroduction Attempts

The expert's initial effort to bring back wild cats to the UK was refused by the government official on the recommendation of the wildlife agency in 2018. A preliminary application for a test reintroduction has also met opposition, even though the chair of the environmental body lately showed enthusiasm about the idea of reintroducing the feline predator during his 24-month term.

If the hawk initiative proceeds, the birds will be fitted with GPS transmitters – an endeavour expected to represent almost half of the projected project cost of £110,000 – and be provided a regular supply of food for as much as is required after being freed. In Berlin, 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 locating rewilding projects exclusively in countryside areas.

"It'll inject such excitement," he declared. "Individuals visit the park to feed birds. Soon they'll be going to see goshawks."