Why dont birds get electrocuted when they sit on wires?
by 
TINKERBELLE
ANSWERS: 5
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Because they aren't completing a circuit. There's no flow of electrons. If they touched two wires, they would!
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It's because they become part of the electrical circuit. They are not breaking the circuit so they don't get electrocuted. They do this because both their feet are in contact with the wires. If they touched anything else other than the wires they would break the circuit and be frazzled.
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I'm gonna go with insulation, that handy-dandy stuff we usually put on the outside of wires so that we don't get the shit shocked out of us when we touch it. My husband's answer: As long as they're only touching the wire, the voltage difference between the places they're touching it is negligible. If they were to touch the wire and then something else, something that's "grounded", there will be a very large voltage difference and the electricity will pass through their bodies. You could do it yourself if you were to hang by one hand by the wire, though I don't recommend it. I'd go with his answer, since he's the EE, and I'm just a lowly writer. Mine is funnier though.
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You will occationally see a bird that is to close to a pole or other object like a tree and get ZAPPED. Large birds fall to this death more often. Sad!
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Some wires are insulated so the bird makes no direct contact with the energized part of the wire. If the wire isn't insulated: Electricity flows along the path of least resistance. The bird's body provides significantly more resistance to the current flow than the length of wire between its feet. Therefore the current will continue to flow through the wire and not the bird's body.
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