birds

[inky]

how *** birds dnt get electricuted wen they sit on a live cable???????

[Loosehead]

Electricity only flows in a circuit, the bird is not part of a circuit unless it touches something else, ie another wire or another bird that is on the wire.

By the same token you can stand on the electric rail as long as you do not touch anything else. Don't try it though!

[-=BigD=-]

The birds aren�t earthed (connected to the ground) the same as the wire. They do it because the wire's are warm due to the resistance the electricity get from the metal.

[stevie21]

Rubber wellies

[dabees]

Electricity always takes the path of least resistance, or the shortest way to earth. The electricity won't flow through the bird unless it is in contact with Earth. The cable is the shortest path, so the bird remains free of the electricties path.

[Gandy]

Birds can see sine waves - the up and down flow of alternating current. It's just a matter of jumping at the right time. It was years of doing this and partly due to the distribution of dc in overhead networks that caused birds to evolve wings thus being able to maintain their jump for extended periods.