A Framework for Investigating Avian Detection of Substrate-Borne Mechanical Information Under Natural Bird-Perch Coupling Conditions

Abstract Birds possess vibration-sensitive mechanoreceptors and have been shown to respond behaviorally to controlled vibrational stimuli under laboratory conditions. Previous physiological and behavioral investigations have established an important foundation for the study of avian mechanosensation. However, questions remain regarding how birds may detect substrate-borne mechanical information while maintaining natural contact with environmental substrates during normal behavior. The present manuscript proposes a conceptual and methodological framework for investigating avian detection of substrate-borne mechanical information under conditions that preserve natural bird-perch mechanical coupling. The framework utilizes sleeping roosting chickens as an experimental model and emphasizes preservation of natural roosting posture, natural weight-bearing conditions, and maintenance of the complete foot-perch interface through which mechanical information normally enters the animal. The framework incorporates baseline behavioral characterization, individual subject profiling, response characterization trials, sham controls, environmental monitoring, and independent verification of signal delivery. Particular emphasis is placed on distinguishing direct behavioral observations from subsequent inferences and on interpreting behavioral responses in relation to verified stimulus presentation, baseline behavior, and procedural controls. Consistent with a detection-first philosophy, the framework seeks to establish whether behavioral detection can be demonstrated before attempting to identify underlying sensory mechanisms, neural pathways, learning processes, or ecological functions. Rather than proposing a specific mechanism, the framework provides a structured foundation for investigating avian responses to substrate-borne mechanical information while preserving biologically relevant bird-substrate interactions. The approach is intended as an initial model capable of refinement through empirical testing and future investigation. If successful, it may support subsequent studies of detection thresholds, frequency and amplitude sensitivity, temporal pattern recognition, anatomical mechanisms, neural processing, and the ecological significance of substrate-borne mechanical information in birds.