Fossil bird remains from the Pliocene hominin-bearing locality of Kanapoi comprise >100 elements representing at least 10 avian families, including previously undescribed elements referred to the ‘giant’ Pliocene marabou stork Leptoptilos cf. falconeri. The taxonomic composition of the Kanapoi fossil avifauna reveals an assemblage with a substantial aquatic component, corroborating geological evidence of this locality's close proximity to a large, slow-moving body of water. Both the taxonomic composition and relative abundance of avian higher-level clades at Kanapoi stand in stark contrast to the avifauna from the slightly older (∼4.4 Ma vs. 4.2 Ma) hominin-bearing Lower Aramis Member of Ethiopia, which has been interpreted as representing a mesic woodland paleoenvironment far from water. In general, the taxonomic composition of the Kanapoi avifauna resembles that from the Miocene hominoid-bearing locality of Lothagam (though Kanapoi is more diverse), and the aquatic character of the Kanapoi avifauna supports the idea that the environmental conditions experienced by Australopithecus anamensis at Kanapoi were markedly different from those experienced by Ardipithecus ramidus at Aramis. Additionally, the relative abundance of marabou stork (Leptoptilos) remains at Kanapoi may suggest a longstanding commensal relationship between total-clade humans and facultatively scavenging marabous. Additional avian remains from nearby fossil localities (e.g., the Nachukui Formation), ranging in age from 3.26 to 0.8 Ma, reveal the long-term persistence of an aquatic avifauna in the region.

来自上新世古人类居住地卡纳波伊的鸟类化石遗骸包含超过 100 个元素，代表至少 10 个鸟类科，包括以前未描述的元素，称为“巨型”上新世马拉布鹳Leptoptilos cf。法尔科内里. Kanapoi 鸟类化石的分类组成揭示了一个具有大量水生成分的组合，证实了该地区靠近大型、缓慢移动的水体的地质证据。Kanapoi 的鸟类高级进化枝的分类组成和相对丰度与埃塞俄比亚稍古老（~4.4 Ma 对 4.2 Ma）具有人类的下阿拉米斯段的鸟类形成鲜明对比，这被解释为代表一个远离水的中等林地古环境。一般来说，Kanapoi 鸟类的分类组成类似于 Lothagam 的中新世类人动物栖息地（尽管 Kanapoi 更加多样化），而 Kanapoi 鸟类的水生特征支持这样一种观点，即人类所经历的环境条件Kanapoi 的Australopithecus anamensis与 Aramis 的Ardipithecus ramidus所经历的明显不同。此外，在卡纳波伊仍然存在相对丰富的马拉布鹳（Leptoptilos）可能表明全进化枝人类与兼性清除的马拉布之间存在长期的共生关系。来自附近化石地点（例如，Nachukui 组）的其他鸟类遗骸，年龄从 3.26 到 0.8 Ma，揭示了该地区水生鸟类的长期存在。