How can birds sit on power lines without getting electrocuted? By Ashleigh

How can birds sit on power lines without getting electrocuted?

Have you ever wondered how birds sit on power lines without getting a shock? Do they have magical feet to make them not get hurt or do they not sit on power lines at all? Who knows...

Do you know why birds can sit on power line without getting a shock? How can they sit on a power line filled of 760,000 volts in it without getting a shock? Is it because they’re not making a circuit? What is a circuit?

Circuits

Did you know a circuit has to be closed to work. It’s kind of like a circle except a circuit is filled with electricity. Circuits only work most of the time. For example, if you wanted to make a circuit don’t add wood, plastic or rubber to it otherwise it wouldn’t work. A circuit is liked a closed circle, so if you cut the circle the circuit wouldn’t work. If you think about it circuits can be made when you have your feet on the ground and your hand touched an electric fence your making a circuit so you will get shocked. But if you were wearing rubber boots and you touched an electric fence you won’t feel anything!!!

Electricity

Did you know that electricity is apart of your everyday life!!! Electricity comes from the sun, wind, fossil fuels, natural gas, oils and water. Electricity is spread all over the world by power lines.  It has been around since the 19th century!!! But how can electricity go from one country to another? Well, most countries have solar panels on the roofs of their houses. Electricity can flow easily through power lines from something called “Copper”. Copper is like a conductor that helps electricity flow. Electricity is spread all over the world from house to house to house. Electricity never stops!!! Humans help electricity because their body makes a circuit to help electricity flow.

Birds/Power lines

Birds and power lines how do they mix???

Well, the reason why birds don’t get a shock is because they aren’t good conductors of electricity. So that means dozens of birds can sit on a power line without getting a shock!!! Another reason why birds can sit on power lines is because the electricity will bypass a bird sitting on a wire is because there is no voltage difference in a single wire and birds aren’t making a complete circuit so they won’t get a shock. But if they put a wing on the power line they would get a shock. This is why power lines are high of the off the ground because they need to have some space between a electric fence and a power line so people won’t get a shock. Otherwise we wouldn’t have many people in the world. But if you think about it, you wouldn’t have been reading this without lights above your head from electricity and the power lines carry electricity.

Now you know birds don’t have magical feet and they do sit on power lines. Maybe if humans had wings they could sit on a power line maybe we could wear rubber boots! So we could put down 2 body parts without getting electrocuted!!! I hope you now know why birds can sit on power lines without getting electrocuted.

By Ashleigh