Tibiotarsus

 ( Bird Anatomy ) 

The tibiotarsus is the large bone between the femur and the tarsometatarsus in the leg of a bird. It is the fusion of the proximal part of the tarsus with the tibia.

A similar structure also occurred in the Mesozoic Heterodontosauridae. These small were unrelated to birds and the similarity of their foot bones is best explained by convergent evolution.

• Bird anatomy

• Proctor, Nobel S. Manual of Ornithology: Avian Structure and Function. Yale University Press. (1993)