Why Don't Power Lines Electrocute Starlings?

When I stop at red lights I watch all the starlings balancing on the telephone wires. Why don't these birds get shocked when they sit on high voltage lines?

When birds are only in contact with one power line, they are not forming a complete circuit, so the electricity does not flow through them. Unfortunately, some larger birds, like hawks and eagles, have been electrocuted when they stretch their wings into another power line, completing the circuit.