Answer: Birds do not get shocked when sitting on high voltage wires because they do not create a closed circuit for electricity to flow through.

When a bird sits on a wire, it touches only one conductor, and as long as it doesn’t simultaneously touch another object or conductor at a different voltage potential, there is no closed circuit for electricity to flow through. In other words, the bird doesn’t provide a path for current to travel from the wire, through its body, and back into the electrical system. Since the bird is not grounded or part of a complete circuit, it remains at the same voltage potential as the wire, and therefore, no electric current flows through it. This is in contrast to situations where a closed circuit is formed, such as when a human or another conductor simultaneously touches two points at different voltages, leading to an electric shock.