"First off, birds really like sitting on elevated lines, whether those are power lines, telecommunication wires or cable lines. The high wires provide an excellent vantage point for surveying the area, giving them a bird's eye view of the territory. From there, they can look around for food and watch out for predators. The lines are also a convenient spot for taking a rest and as there are other birds on the line, a chance to converse."
"They come and go as they please, but it's not likely they would all fly off at once unless something really frightened the entire flock. It might look like the birds sit there all day and night, but it's a revolving cast. Such gatherings also provide some communal support and protection from predators, and in the winter, the combined flocks can offer a little extra warmth."
Many birds regularly perch on elevated power lines, choosing such spots for surveillance, rest, and social interaction. Elevated wires give a view for locating food and spotting predators. Birds rotate on and off the lines, so the apparent all-day presence is a revolving cast; they typically flee only when the whole flock is frightened. Grouping on lines provides communal protection and some winter warmth. Birds avoid electrocution because electricity flows from higher to lower potential and a bird with both feet on the same wire is at the same potential, so little or no current passes through its body; electrocution risks rise if a bird contacts a second wire or a grounded object.
Read at The Mercury News
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