Why Don’t the Birds Die? - Media Statement
[ Last Updated 9 March 2006 ]
When birds sit on power lines, why don't they die? That's a question a 10-year-old recently asked after he was told that a boy had electrocuted himself (but survived) while climbing a power pole.
It's one of those priceless, but quite sensible questions we're often faced with as parents, and just goes to show that electricity can be a bit of a mystery for kids – as well as for adults, come to that. In this article, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs' Energy Safety Service provides some electrical safety information that parents can pass on to their children.
Firstly, why don't the birds die? Because for electricity to flow, it needs a beginning and an end point, and something to pass through (a conductor) to get there. This is called a complete electrical circuit. When a bird perches on a power line it is only standing at a single point on a single line, so electricity can't pass through it from one point to another.
However, people are obviously bigger than birds (and don't have as good balance!). So on a power pole they can become conductors, allowing an electrical current to flow through them from a wire to the ground – a complete electrical circuit. And it only takes a small amount of electricity to get an electric shock – a current less than that needed to light a light bulb can be fatal.
Which begs the next question … how do the people who repair power lines protect themselves from electrocution? Answer: they have special training and use tools that act as insulators. Insulators stop electricity in its tracks. They are made of products that don't conduct electricity – for example, porcelain, glass, and some types of plastic. Take trolley bus drivers as another example of people protected by insulators. Drivers use insulated ropes to help them reattach the trolley bus poles when they come off the wires.
Playing with and around electricity is dangerous. As this article proves, just because the birds don't die, doesn't mean kids won't. Kids have been hurt climbing power poles, climbing onto trains, touching wires while on the roof of their house, or playing with power boxes in their street. So teach your kids to be bright sparks. Help them to understand electricity and, most importantly its dangers. For more electrical information for your kids, visit the Ministry of Consumer Affairs consumerkids website.
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