Bird feet and legs only a small extension of the cnemial crest. In grebes both a normal patella and an extension of the cnemial crest are found. The fibula is reduced and adheres extensively to the tibia, usually reaching two-thirds of its length. Only penguins have full-length fibulae. The bird knee joint between the femur and tibia (or rather tibiotarsus) points forwards, but is hidden within the feathers. The backward-pointing "heel" (ankle) that is easily visible is a joint between the tibiotarsus and tarsometatarsus. The joint inside the tarsus occurs also in some reptiles. It is worth noting here that the name "thick knee"
Upper extremity of femur profound (deep) for the femoral artery. In the transition area between the head and neck is quite rough due to attachment of muscles and the hip joint capsule. Here the two trochanters, greater and lesser trochanter, is found. The greater trochanter is almost box-shaped and is the most lateral prominent of the femur. The highest point of the greater trochanter is located higher than the collum and reaches the midpoint of the hip joint. The greater trochanter can easily be felt. The trochanteric fossa is a deep depression bounded posteriorly by the intertrochanteric crest on medial surface of the greater