Why can birds sit on a power line without getting shocked?

Answer 1

The fact is, for a living creature to get a 'shock' there has to be a substantial flow of current through the body. However, there is barely any current running through the bird's body for two reasons. Firstly, the bird not only forms a circuit with the wire, but it also offers a high resistance to current, so the current passes through the wire instead of the bird.

It's a bit like this, would you prefer going on a smooth road or a road full of potholes? The answer is obvious and just like you, the current prefers taking the easier path. All objects offer some amount of resistance to the flow of current, depending on the material.

This is just one of the reasons why birds don't get shock, however the more important reason why current does not pass through the bird is, there is barely any, if at all, voltage difference across the bird. Current flow is actually just the flow of minute charged particles that are invisible to the naked eye. These charged particles need an energy input in order for them to get transferred. The amount of energy needed to move the charges from one point to another is measured in terms of the potential difference between the two points.

A bird perched on high-tension wires has both its feet placed firmly on the same wire, so the net potential difference from one end of the bird to the other is, for all purposes, next to nil.

In order for current to flow through the bird, there must be a sizeable difference in voltage across the body. While the potential difference between the wire and Earth may be thousands of volts, the potential difference between the bird's two feet is extremely tiny and so a very small current flows through the bird which can barely be registered.

If the bird were to touch the wire and simultaneously another wire, it would receive a mild shock. On the other hand if it were to touch the wire and some other object connected to the ground, it would receive a deadly shock, the greater the potential difference, the greater is the current flow.

Answer 2

Because the bird is not in contact with the earth, therfore there is no circuit for the current to flow thru.

Answer

The resistance of the wire between the bird's feet is so low that the current passing through the conductor cannot create sufficient voltage drop to harm the bird. Should part of the bird come into contact with another line conductor, or an earthed conductor, then it will be killed.
Power lines are insulated. They only give shocks if the insulation is damaged.

Answer 3

In Order For A Human Or A Bird To Get An Electric Shot, You Have To Be Touching Two Electrical Cables...

So When You See A Bird On Wires Next, If You Look, They Sit On One Wire, Therefore They Don't Get An Electrical Shock.

-Kjay0127

Answer 4

because birds sit on top of the wire and the electricity is trying to travel down to the earth not up to the sky.

That could be true but I think its because of their feet.The electricity doesn't travel through their feet to the body.

Answer 5

Actually, when birds are standing on a single phase power line with both feet, they do get electric shock...in the nano volt range so they don't feel anything. Even though they do not complete a path to ground, they are in fact in parallel circuit with the power line. Since the power line has not 0 ohm of resistance, even between the bird's legs, some electric current is deviated into the bird. That is Ohm's law! To prove it, remplace the part of wire between the bird's leg with a Gigaohm resistor, and see what happens to the bird. Electricity will always follow all the given paths, but how much current flows through those paths depends of their resistance.

Answer 6

electric lines are coated with rubber, so they are not accually touching the direct line.

Answer 7

Because they are not touching the earth and therefore the circuit doesn't close

Answer 8

They would have to touch something else at the same time.

Answer 9

because of van allen R. poblete