How does it happen that a bird on a wire doesn’t get shocked? When the bird perches on a live wire, its body becomes charged for the moment; it’s at the same voltage as the wire. But no current flows into its body. Electricity must have a path in order to travel. A power line is an ideal path, so when electricity is running through this wiring, an animal sitting on top of it does not interrupt the electrical flow. A body is a poor conductor compared to copper wire, so there’s no reason for electrons to take a detour through the bird. However, if a bird were to have one foot on one wire and the other foot on another wire, electricity would travel from wire to wire through the bird’s body, and the bird would be electrocuted. While many birds are too small to straddle two wires, unfortunately there are times when larger birds are electrocuted in this very way.
How do Birds Sit on Power Lines?
