2007-01-05 08:19:32 · 25 answers · asked by victoriawarrenuk 2 in Pets ➔ Birds
Because they only perch on one wire at a time, they'd need to perch on both wires to complete the electrical circuit.
2007-01-05 08:22:15 · answer #1 · answered by Kate 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Birds do get electrocuted but you just do not see it! Birds have to come in contact with the accual wires in orders to get electrocuded but they do not they land on the plastic coating wraped Around the wire! They can get electrcuded just like we can though!!
The bird's resistance is much higher than the resistance of the wire between its legs, so no current flows through the bird. The key here though 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. Should the bird touch one of its legs, or anything else, to something that can suck up infinite numbers of electrons, e.g., the ground, this will no longer be the case. Suddenly, one leg will be charged and the other won't. The electrons in the charged leg that repel each other now have somewhere to go, the uncharged leg. Current flows, heat is generated, and, well, you get the idea. Seeing as how current flows from source to ground, your wife is right. You're explaining why the "downstream" foot of the bird isn't on a good ground, which is true enough, but your wife's got a better grasp of the general principle.
2007-01-05 08:24:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The simple answer is that they are not earthed. You only get electrocuted when your are between the source of the electricity and the ground.
2007-01-05 08:22:32 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
I once saw a TV program about people who fix electricity cables. They were lowered onto them from a helicopter on a kind of a platform (like window cleaners have) and they didn't get hurt because they didn't touch anything except the wires (which were on) and they had special suits too with metal in them to carry electricity around the body rather than through it.
2007-01-05 09:57:03 · answer #4 · answered by Mike 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i asked the same question a few months ago when i was standing in the train station,it might be a silly question but this bird landed on the electric wire and i said to my mate,why is that not dead it's an electric wire! he replied that it is not touching the ground so won't kill it because all electricity will bypass u unless it is earthed.but i ain't going to test that theory out but if u do let me know how it works out eh!
2007-01-05 08:42:35 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
they are not grounded is the simple answer,if you could attach a ground wire to them they would be electrocuted when they touched the hot(electrified)wire,on high tension wires they would get zapped brfore they came into contact.but there are other answers also about potential and all that but i guess you meant on the wires,so again the answer is they are not attached to anything grounded is why they dont get zapped.
2007-01-05 08:38:26 · answer #6 · answered by MR. EARL 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
they need to be on the ground to be electrocuted
2007-01-05 08:32:00 · answer #7 · answered by daydreams_123 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
i think the real reason is because they aren't connected with the ground wich has losts of the mineral IRON. yes now u know. electricity flows through iron. i learned in science class. earth's interior is made of of lots of iron, iron go to volcano , volcano make island, island make continent, etc. im so smart eh? lol j/k.
2007-01-05 08:30:31 · answer #8 · answered by Melissa 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
they can but on wires they dont make contact with another wire so dont get electrocuted
2007-01-05 08:21:43 · answer #9 · answered by julie t 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
To do so they'd have to have one foot on the wire and the other on something connected to earth.
2007-01-05 08:22:45 · answer #10 · answered by migdalski 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋