How do birds sit on wires without getting electrocuted?

Question

When a bird stands on a wire, why do they not get electrocuted like a person would?

Answer 1

The electricity in the wire just wants to get to the ground, if you are on the ground and touch it , it flows through you and kills you.  The birds sitting on a bare wire, even with a billion volts aren't touching the ground so it's not flowing through them.

Answer 2

Because the circuit is not completed if object touches only the charged wire, you can try for yourself, but be very care full, the moment you touch other object connected to ground or other wire, you will have the feeling

Answer 3

A person would not get electricuted if he touched the wire. Like people, the bird is sitting on the outside of the wire, on the insulator. The wires are actually inside. Since the bird isnt part of the cuircut, it recieves no electric current. However, if the wire was to break between the bird's feet, and each foot was touching the end of the split wire, it would be part of the cuircut and be electricuted. Humans can hold on to those wires, so long as they stay out of the cuircut.

Or so says my physics class....

Answer 4

they would fry if they touched 2 different wires but with a single wire the electricity flows right thru

Answer 5

Only touching one wire not both. Simple as that.

Answer 6

The wire is insulated. They don't have a ground (as in grounding source) to make the wire live.

Answer 7

Well as a matter of fact, when a bird sits on a wire, that  part of the wire between its legs forms a  parallel  connection with its body. Now as the resistance of the bird's body is much more than that of the wire, a negligible amount of current flows through its body, as a result it doesn't get electrocuted.

Answer 8

They only stand on one wire.

Answer 9

I think you actually could touch one wire at a time and not get electrocuted. My grandpa worked for a power company and I remember him explaining it to me a long time ago like this...

one bird can sit on one wire

two birds can sit on one wire

two birds can sit on two wires

but if one bird sits on two wires, then zap!

because it doesn't complete the circuit

Answer 10

I believe it's because the current is too small. Also, their talons or claws are not good conductors of electricity.