Anthropology research seminar: The city and the bird – a meeting that makes a difference

This presentation will explore the entangled lives of the urban kittiwakes and the city of Tromsø, what consequences have emerged, and what we can learn from this encounter between species.

Tromsø has become the home of migrating kittiwakes the last decade, something that has lead to turmoil, debate and a contested situation. The kittiwakes, small black-legged seagulls (Rissa Tridactyla), have collectively left their original habitats from the cliffs in the North Atlantic Ocean to coastal cities like Tromsø, Hammerfest and Vardø. The decline in the population is severe; almost 75 % the last thirty years, and the population is still falling. The bird’s presence is causing tension in the communities due to their noisy and smelly presence; This study explores the potential affordances of the urban landscape she meets, the different management practices, and the potentials of the new alliances between citizens, bureaucrats, artists, activists and researchers to create new spaces for multispecies co-existence.