They, too, do not provide a means for the electrical current to reach the ground more quickly than it would traveling through the power lines, according to DTE Energy. But just as a bird could be shocked or electrocuted it if were to come into contact with a utility pole or another grounded object, so, too, could a squirrel if it makes contact with a grounded object while also touching the power lines.
While copper is most commonly used as a conductor in power lines, many things serve as good conductors of an electrical current. Most metals are good electrical conductors, as is water. That's why you should always get out of the water — whether it's a pool, a lake or the ocean — at the very sight of lightning or sound of thunder, according to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
Because water is a good electrical conductor, electricity can move far across water from the point of a lightning strike. Stay up-to-date on the happenings in Will County's forest preserves by subscribing to The Citizen , our weekly digital newsletter that provides subscribers with updates on Forest Preserve news, upcoming events, and other fun and useful information for the whole family.
If you're only interested in programs, subscribe to The Weekly Five , which outlines the five must-do programs each week. Signing up for either newsletter is easy and free of charge. Read More. Working with electrical wiring is always dangerous and is best left for the electrical professionals or for the birds…well at least the ones with two feet firmly planted on one wire, not stretching or touching another wire, pole or ground at the same time!
Apr 7, Basically… Electricity flows by the movement of electrons through conductors. If birds on electric wire are not getting electrocuted, this means they are not getting shocked by electricity. Essentially, this means that the electricity is able to pass through the birds without damaging them. But what are the reasons why birds are not electrocuted? In short, electricity works via electrons flowing through conductors. If there are birds on electric wire that aren't getting shocked, it means that the bird is not a good conductor of electricity.
This means that birds don't allow the electricity to flow from the wire into their own body. Birds are able to sit on electrical power lines because the electrical current essentially ignores the bird's presence and continues to travel through the wire instead of through the bird's body. A bird's body is not a good conductor of electricity.
Electricity, similar to water, flows using the least amount of resistance possible. In electrical power lines, electricity flows along copper wires. This is probably what you were taught in physics lessons at school. When a car is parked there is no circuit as the car is insulated from the ground, yet current is still able to flow through you to the ground via your feet which gives you a shock.
The car has been charged to a high voltage and when you touch it, it discharges through you to the ground. Power lines carry alternating currents or AC where the electric current regularly changes direction. Over time the voltage alternates between positive and negative indicating the direction of voltage flow.
Remember, voltage is the difference in charge between two points, whilst current, measured in amperes, or amps, is the rate at which the charge is flowing. The number of cycles per second is measured in Hertz Hz and power lines in the UK have a frequency of 50 Hz.
Because the voltage in the wire is constantly changing, the voltage of a bird sitting on a wire is also changing. In other words, the bird is constantly being charged and discharged through its feet.
The other thing we need to think about is the capacitance of the bird. This is the ability of the bird to collect and store electric charge. So although the bird does have a current running through its body, it is too small to electrocute it or even give it an electric shock.
For comparison, a current of about 10 milliamps 0. Although most birds are safe when perching on power lines, tens of millions of birds a year are killed from flying into power lines. Many of these birds are not electrocuted or shocked but simply die from the impact of the collision.
Other birds, though, do die from electrocution and this happens for a couple of reason.
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