Re: Electrocuted Bird of Prey

Posted by Mike Fossler on
URL: http://bald-eagles-of-broward-county-florida.17.s1.nabble.com/Electrocuted-Bird-of-Prey-tp3808976p3837748.html

It should be known that birds do not get eloctrocuted when they land on live wires. Electricity is funny - it works on differences. Landing or touching one wire does nothing. Birds (and other animals/humans) die when they touch 'two' wires. Most overhead wires you see are 3 wires which are 3 legs of 3-phase voltages. One normally has to touch two of these wires - or in the case of humans, they touch one wire and are touching the ground (a-la-touching wires with a tree trimmer or pool skimmer) to get electrocuted.
Usually birds get electrocuted on pole-mounted transformers where they walk around on top of them and the three connections are very close to one another allowing the birds to be able to touch two legs at the same time.
MF