Why don’t birds get
shocked when they sit on wires?

That does seem surprising. Birds sometimes sit on wires carrying thousands of volts and held up high by big towers.

Living things, like birds and people, can get shocked by touching two different wires or by touching one wire and the ground. Then electricity has a way in and out, and can flow through a body and give a dangerous shock.

For example, you will notice that the cord to an electric lamp or an electric motor always has at least two wires to carry electricity in and out.

A bird on an electric wire is safe and happy—unless it makes the mistake of touching another wire at the same time. Then it’s a dead bird.