Do birds get struck by lightning? (question inspired by my 13 year old daughter)?

Question

One day during a storm, my daughter was looking out the window and saw a bird and she said it was going to get struck by lightning...so I wondered myself if that happened? I know dogs, cows, horses do....so, hmmmmm??? Just wondering!

Answer 1

They do. ANY creature that's in the Wrong place at the Wrong time can be struck by Lightning- even fish in the Ocean!  :0

Answer 2

I guess it could happen. But I would not think that a bird would be flying around during a lightning storm. You never know in this day and time stranger things happen!!! Great question by your daughter though.

Answer 3

in flight nothing would hurt them as they are not grounded

Answer 4

It's always possible.  I would suspect the smaller volume that the animal takes up, the less likely it would be to get struck.  So a bird would have a better chance of not getting hit than a horse or cow.  

Bigger birds like Eagles and hawks probably have a little higher chance due to their wingspan and size.

I figure ducks on a pond have taken a hit before...

Answer 5

Its possible for anything to get hit by lightning. I don't know what the chances are, but I'm sure they are low.

Answer 6

Everything and Everyone can get hit by a lightning!!!

Answer 7

Yes they do, but most birds take shelter during storms.

Answer 8

I saw one spring training baseball game in which a bird flew in front of the catcher and got nailed by a Randy Johnson 90+ mph pitch.  Big explosion of feathers, no more bird.  

If that can happen, I have no problem believing that birds can and have been hit by lightning.

Answer 9

Well, birds can get struck by lightning if they're within 30 feet of an object that gets struck, or if they're on a tree, for example. However, if it's not grounded (if it's flying around while there is lightning outside) it cannot be struck by lightning, because electricity only seeks the ground. Just as if you were to touch an electrical wire and you were floating in mid air, nothing would happen.