Why don't birds get an electric shock when they land on an electricity wire?

Answer 1

Because they're only on the wire. Voltage is a potential between two points. Since they're only touching the wire and nothing else, they can safely sit there without being electrocuted.

Answer 2

Electric wires carry high voltage electricity from the power plant to the substation and then to the home. Then why don't birds get electrocuted when they land on them?

Electricity tries to run from areas of high voltage to low voltage. When a bird lands on one wire, nothing happens because the wire has an even voltage throughout. The key here is that the bird's legs and the wire are equally charged — they're at the same voltage level, or "potential," as the engineers say. If the bird puts one claw on one wire and the other claw on another wire, the wire voltages are different and an electrical current will pass through the bird's body and that will surely kill it.

When electricity goes through your body, we call it an electric shock. The same thing will happen to you if you were flying a kite and it gets tangled up in an electric wire. The high voltage in the wire will try to go to the ground but first, it will go through you. You could be seriously injured, so be sure you fly your kite in a wide, open space where there are no overhead electric wires.

Answer 3

I wonder what college those birds have been to for them to know the principle behind electric shock or may be they have sacrificed one of their fellow. You will even see them playing love on top of that deadly cables. They are not electrocuted cos they do not complete the circuit by earthing/grounding. You too can do this simple trick at home. I did join electric wire of my electric lamp when it cut-off while still connected to the power supply. what i did make sure was that i touched the live wire while the neutral/earth is absolutely kept away which makes the flow of electric current uncompleted,there can't be electric shock unless the circuit is completed. You can learn more if you are interested in science of physical matters! Those birds will make sure they do not complete the circuit by touching the pole or two lines simultaneously. Interesting question mate!

Answer 4

Because they are on a single wire, and by landing on it they become part of that wire. Now were they to get close to another wire, pole, or any other object on another wire the electricity would pass through them to ground, probably killing them in the process.

The same thing happens when the high wire repair guys go out on the helicopter to fix the lines. They bond the chopper to the wire they are working on, thereby becoming part of that wire.

You could, I suppose, hang from the lowest electric line and do the same thing as a bird, as long as you were able to stay completely away from all other objects when you did it.

Answer 5

because they don't climb! they skipped the part that would be called 'grounding themselves'. if they touched both the pole AND the wire.. then that would be called FRIED BIRD, but since they skipped touching both (at the same time) then they are safe. And yes, there are birds that will sidle up to a pole to far and touch the post and zap themselves and die. I don't know how long you'd have to look around the bottom of a post to find a body, but they do. You just don't often hang around close to posts.
Thats ALSO why they had to find a new way to let eagles nest on TOP of posts... because of their wing spans being so huge, they would touch both with the wings... so they had to make a perch base on top of the top of the post so that would minimize that problem.

Answer 6

Because they are not completing the full circuit of energy by just landing on one wire. If they had one foot on one wire and the other foot on the other wire then the bird would be toast.

Answer 7

Its only when a short circuit takes place.

However, I do not think birds will actually land on ETLs [electricity transmission lines]. The heat from these wires will ensure no birds will settle on them.

Further, birds will settle on the Communication Cable [similar to telephone cables] which accompanies the ETLs. These cables are insulated unlike the power lines. A six cable line will have a seventh, usually at the extreme top.

Answer 8

Because the wires are insulated, but sometimes they do get shocked. We watched four pigeons (in a row) land on an electric line and get shocked. I guess that part of the line wasn't properly insulated.

Answer 9

They do if they land on the wooden pole part. They don't get shocked because of the wire coverings on the wire.

Answer 10

i can tell by the other stupid answers this has not yet been answered by an electrician. most wires above are not insulated.electricity needs least resistant path to ground so as long as you are not grounded or too fat u can hang there urself. and dont forget u cannot touch any of the other wires or that would be a short circuit and very un healthy