why don't birds get electrocuted when they sit on pylons?

Answer 1

Because they are not 'earthed' by touching the floor or something that is touching the floor. The voltage runs throught them but does them no harm, but if they did touch the ground at the same time as touching the wire they would be electrocuted. Its the same if you stand on polystyrene blocks whilst touching an electric fence. You feel absolutley nothing.

Answer 2

Actually, if we were to sit on a power line and not touch anything else like the birds do, we would not get electrocuted! The reason for this has to do with the fact that current, a flow of electrons, flows along a path of least resistance. The electrons want to get to where they are going in the easiest possible way, much like a person might walk on the sidewalk instead of the grass because it is easier. When a bird sits on a wire and the electrons reach the part of the wire where the bird is sitting, the electrons have two options. They could go through the bird's feet and encounter a large amount of resistance or they could go through the metal. All metals are conductors which means that electrons flow through them easily. Because it is easier to travel through the metal instead, the electrons don't go through the birds feet, so the bird stays safe.

The same thing would happen if a person sat on a wire and the electrons would go through the wire instead of through the person. If, however, the person reached out to a tree or anything else connected with the ground, there is a new path of lower resistance and the electrons would go through the person to the ground, electrocuting him

Answer 3

The electricity passes along the cable between the bird's feet. It has no cause to go through the bird. The reason is that electricity follows the path of least resistance, and the bird offers more resistance than the cable.

If it were to put one foot on the cable and one foot on the pylon, which is standing on the ground, then that would be a very different matter. The electricity would then find less resistance passing through the bird to get to earth and back to the generating station, and the bird would be frazzled.

Answer 4

Actually, the bigger ones do. I saw a show on the Discovery channel the other night that showed that alot of eagles, mainly and a couple other larger birds of prey that need to sit up high to survey, do get electrocuted, because they are large enough to touch more than 1 pylon at a time. They are putting up long T bars for them to sit on above all the wiring, and hopefully it will get better.

Answer 5

Electrocution occurs when an electric current passes through your body (or in this case the bird's body). It can only do this if two (or more) parts of the body are connected to objects which are at different levels of electrical charge, for example if a live cable touches you and you are standing on the ground, there is a difference between the cable and the ground, and you get electrocuted. In the case of the bird, both feet are touching things which are at the same electrical charge (ie adjacent points on the same cable).

Answer 6

Hi Vicki,

Birds don't get electrocuted when they sit on pylons because they are not 'Grounded', either by a connection to a wet ground location, or a ground wire. They are not on a complete circuit.

Answer 7

Birds don't sit on pylons, they sit on telegraph wires belonging to the telephone. They would get shocked if they flew near a pylon wire.
Next time it rains, stand under a pylon and listen....they crackle (nothing to do with birds)

Answer 8

Birds and people only get electrocuted when they form part of a circuit. In this case, as many have said, the bird is not touching the ground, so no circuit is formed.

Answer 9

Birds will indeed perch on electricity lines as much as telegraph lines. The reason they are usually ok is that they do not often "short themselves out ". If a bird is perched on a power cable it will be fine as long as it touches nothing. If , however it stretches its wings on take off and makes contact with a metal supporting channel, which is earthed, and is still in contact with the cable it will get a fatal shock. Roast sparrow anyone ?

Answer 10

Because you have to be in contact with the ground to be electrocuted. Like when u stand on a brick and touch and electric fence you won't feel anything