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Asked by anon-306420 on 16 Dec 2021.
Question: why dont birds get electrocuted when they land on an electric wire?
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Deanna Gillespie answered on 14 Dec 2021:
I feel like this is something I should know. I think it is because the is no earthing point through the bird to the ground so there isn’t a circuit formed so the electricity doesn’t touch them.
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Dimitris Samaras answered on 14 Dec 2021:
In order for electricity -or more stricly, electric current- to flow, you have to have a voltage differential on the two ends of an object (at this case the legs of a bird). Birds will stand with both legs on the same wire, therefore the voltage differencial will be zero, thus no current will flow through their bodies. If however these birds were to come into contact with another wire or the earth will still touching that first wire, then they would have been electrocuted almost certainly
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Caroline Roche answered on 14 Dec 2021:
Electricity wants to follow the path of least resistance from a high to low voltage area. There is no voltage difference between the wire and the bird but the resistance of the wire is much lower, so the electricity follows the wire. But if the bird were to have one foot on the wire and the other on the ground, it would then become the better option, the resistance hasn’t changed but the electricity is now able to travel to earth (which is the lowest voltage area).
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Rea Kozlowski answered on 16 Dec 2021:
Electrocution is injury or death that occurs because of electrical shock. So if a bird sits on an electric wire, it-as your question already suggests-does not get shocked by the electricity. So, the electricity is not affecting the bird, or it is passing through without damaging it.
You probably know the physics experiments about conductivity. The one where you test how good materials can transport electricity (wood – not good, copper – good). So, knowing electricity can effect birds (other experiments, not nice ones), it has to be that the current pass through without damaging the bird.
So, birds are not good conductors. Sitting on the wire makes the electrical current “ignore” the bird sitting on it. So the current just passed through the wire straight forward without even entering the bird’s body.
As long as the bird does not come in contact with any other object which has another voltage (electric potential), the bird is safe (same goes btw for any other living). But touching an object with another voltage makes the voltage difference harm the bird.
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Well if they land on a electric wire, there is no voltage difference. If the two feet of bird land on different wire, they will get electrocuted.
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