The German capital's City Hawks: A Model for UK Urban Areas?

Emitting swift keck-keck-keck cries that resounded through a central Berlin green space, the large hawks climbed high above the treetops and wheeled before plunging downwards to scatter a ragged group of black birds that had started to mob them.

"It's basically a soaring Batman enforcing law and order to the urban environment," 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 experts aspire it will soon bring wonder and joy to British cities, mirroring its success in European metropolises. In the United Kingdom, this swift bird of prey was hunted to near extinction and only began to recover in countryside regions during the 1960s. It remains widely persecuted on private lands and hunting grounds.

Thriving in European Cities

In other parts of Europe, the goshawk is thriving – even in busy cities such as the German capital, Amsterdam, and the Czech capital. From a public garden in Berlin, where a sizable eyrie rested in the crown of a tree less than 100 metres from a war memorial, the elusive hunter preys on pigeons in the streets and even perches on building tops.

The birds have adjusted to busy vehicle flow – while high transparent structures still present a threat – and are far more comfortable with the steady stream of pet owners, runners, and kids than their woodland counterparts would be with humans.

"It is just like any green space in the UK, that's the magical thing," said the director of a conservation initiative, which aims to introduce these raptors to Chester and London in the initial phase of a program reintroducing them to cities. "It demonstrates this can be done swiftly – without difficulty, but with so much enthusiasm."

Assisted Colonisation Proposal

The expert is planning to present a application for the "assisted colonisation" of the northern goshawk to the authorities in the coming weeks; the plan foresees the release of 15 birds in each of the two cities, obtained as chicks from wild European nests and British aviaries.

He expects they will come to the rescue of Britain's beleaguered songbirds by preying on mesopredators such as crows, magpies, and small crows, whose numbers have increased unchecked and threatened birds further down the food chain.

Their arrival should have an immediate effect on the "bold" medium-sized birds that prey on smaller ones that the public love, says the scientist, referencing a comparable phenomenon observed in canine predators. "This is what's called an ecology of fear. Everyone realizes the apex predators are in town."

Potential Hurdles and Dangers

Rewilding projects across the continent have encountered strong resistance from farmers and activist groups in recent years, as large carnivores such as wolves and bears have returned to territories now populated by people. As their numbers have expanded, they have started to eat livestock and in certain instances confront individuals.

The reintroduction of the goshawk into city England is unlikely to trigger a similar backlash – the birds currently reside in other parts of the nation, and animal guardians and city residents have minimal to fear from them – but the bird has caused conflicts even in cities it has long called home.

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

A scientist who has researched goshawk adjustment to city environments employed GPS trackers to follow 60 birds as part of her doctorate, and says that while there could be possible benefits from using these predators to regulate mesopredators in UK cities, chicks taken from countryside nests may struggle to adapt to urban life and emphasized the importance to include all interested parties from the start. "Overall, it's a risky business."

Expert Views

An ornithologist who has studied hawk behavior in rural Britain said it was uncertain if the raptors would choose to stay in cities and unlikely that the proposed quantity would be enough to have a significant beneficial impact on garden bird populations. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he asked. "My guess is they'll probably disperse into the nearest countryside."

The conservationist is nevertheless optimistic about the project's chances. The specialist, who has in the past been granted a licence to tag the Highland tiger and was a scientific consultant for a project that reintroduced the great bustard back to the United Kingdom, argues that handling releases in a "humane way" is the key to achievement.

Past Reintroduction Attempts

The expert's first effort to bring back wild cats to the UK was refused by the government official on the advice of the wildlife agency in 2018. A preliminary proposal for a test reintroduction has also faced resistance, even though the chair of the environmental body recently expressed interest about the idea of releasing the feline predator during his two-year tenure.

If the goshawk initiative proceeds, 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 provided a steady supply of food for as much as is needed after being freed. In the German city, the expert stressed the psychological benefit of urban residents being able to observe a predator as secretive as the goshawk while they conduct their lives, rather than locating conservation schemes only in countryside areas.

"It will inject such excitement," he declared. "People go to the green space to give food to pigeons. Soon they'll be traveling to observe hawks."