The main reason for bird damage to the insulator, especially silicone rubber insulator is because of its behaviors such as nesting, defecation, and flyiny. This causes the damage to transmission equipment or line tripping, failure and shutdown.
Nesting: When birds build nests on poles and towers or the insulators, the longer nest material reduces or shortens the air gap, causing the overhead transmission line to trip.
Bird droppings: When birds drain manure near the tower, bird droppings form a conductive channel on the insulators, causing the breakdown of the air gap in the tower, or the flashover along the insul ator surface caused by bird droppings attached to the insulator, causing the overhead transmission line to trip.
Flight: Flight refers to the body of a bird that reduces the air gap between or relative to the overhead transmission line, resulting in the tripping of the overhead transmission line caused by air breakdown.
Bird pecking: Birds often peck at insulators, especially the red silicone rubber insulators. When the insulators are bitten and mutilated, the insulation properties will be reduced.
What are the ways to prevent bird damage? Please refer to the article: Anti-bird harm measures for protecting high voltage insulators.
