Why aren't birds electrocuted when they sit on electricity lines?

Question

Why aren't birds electrocuted when they sit on electricity lines?

Answer 1

well you wouldn't be either. there is a small rubber tube around the wire just like most other wires.....i think. it insolates the electricity and protects the birds from electric shocks

Answer 2

because the electricity tries to get to earth... the bird are not touching the earth therefore the only desination for the current to get to is the one intended by the power lines, there is less resistance in the lines than the birds so the current does not flow through the birds

Answer 3

The lines are wrapped in rubber

Answer 4

Coz they are freaaaaaks.

Answer 5

everybody is essentially correct however it has to do with the voltage drop or resistance because most birds feet are very tough skinned (thick) they have a high resistance

So even if they were standing on high voltage wires there would not be enough voltage drop to cause a significant current flow

Answer 6

i have head that it is because the wires a wrapped in plastic and the birds rarely touch th ground so I am guessing that has something to do with it

Answer 7

They are only on one wire at a time.  As long as they don't become grounded to something they are fine.

Answer 8

Weird.

Maybe because they aren't touching both lines?

or

Their feet are made out of rubber.

Answer 9

Cos they're not "earthed".

(Sometimes they ARE electrocuted - when they hit the pylon whilst trying to land.)

Answer 10

This answer is quite simple. The birds are only sitting on one line and they are not or touching anything grounded so they are not making a circuit. You could hang of an electricity line and not get fried if you wanted to try.

Answer 11

They're not grounded, so no.

Answer 12

They've got to touch two lines or be grounded

to complete a circuit.

Lucky they're too small to do that.

Answer 13

The short answer is because they don't ground or complete the electrical circuit.

This explains it simply:

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/newton/ask...

Answer 14

because you need to complete a circuit in order to be electrocuted, if a bird had its feet on different wires they would then be fried.

Answer 15

There is not a path for the electricity to travel through them. It is not a complete circuit...