Koho

Koho

Koho aliyekamata samaki

Uainishaji wa kisayansi

Himaya:	Animalia (Wanyama)
Faila:	Chordata (Wanyama wenye ugwe wa neva mgongoni)
Ngeli:	Aves (Ndege)
Oda:	Accipitriformes (Ndege kama vipanga)
Familia:	Pandionidae (Ndege walio na mnasaba na koho)
Jenasi:	Pandion (Koho) Savigny, 1809
Spishi:	P. cristatus Vieillot, 1816 P. haliaetus Linnaeus, 1758

Koho ni ndege wakubwa kiasi wa jenasi Pandion, jenasi pekee ya familia Pandionidae. Zamani spishi moja tu ilifahamiwa, lakini bingwa kadhaa wamekupa nususpishi ya Australasia cheo cha spishi sasa^[1] na IOC (Muungano wa Kimataifa wa Wataalamu wa Ndege) unaiafiki. Lakini wataalamu wengine hawakubali.

Mwili wa koho ana sm 50-66 na upana wa mabawa ni sm 127-180. Mgongo wake una rangi ya kahawa na kidari na tumbo ni nyeupe. Mara nyingi kidari kina michirizi kahawia. Kichwa ni cheupe chenye kinyago. Vidole vyote vina urefu sawa na vina kucha za mviringo bila mfuo kinyume na vipanga na jamaa. Kidole cha nje kinaweza kugeuzwa kuelekea nyuma, kiasi kwamba koho anaweza kushika mawindo kwa vidole viwile mbele na viwili nyuma. Hii inafaa hasa akikamata samaki wenye kuteleza. Koho hula samaki takriban pekee, lakini pengine hukamata wagugunaji, amfibia, watambaazi na ndege wengine. Hutengeneza tago lao kwa vijiti juu ya mti, mhimili ya huduma za umma au mwamba. Jike huyataga mayai 2-4.

Spishi ya Afrika

Pandion haliaetus Koho Magharibi (Western Osprey)
- Pandion h. haliaetus Koho wa Ulaya (Eurasian Osprey)

Spishi za mabara mengine

Pandion cristatus (Eastern Osprey)
Pandion haliaetus (Western Osprey)
- Pandion h. carolinensis (American Osprey)
- Pandion h. haliaetus (Eurasian Osprey)
- Pandion h. ridgwayi (Caribbean Osprey)

Picha

Koho mashariki
Koho magharibi akisinzia angani
Mayai ya koho magharibi

Marejeo

↑ Wink, M., Sauer-Gürth, H. and Witt, H-H. (2004) Phylogenetic differentiation of the Osprey Pandion haliaetus inferred from nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Pp. 511-516 in R.D. Chancellor and B-U. Meyburg (eds.) Raptors worldwide. World Working Group on Birds of Prey, Berlin, and MME/BirdLife Hungary, Budapest.

[1] Wink, M., Sauer-Gürth, H. and Witt, H-H. (2004) Phylogenetic differentiation of the Osprey Pandion haliaetus inferred from nucleotide sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Pp. 511-516 in R.D. Chancellor and B-U. Meyburg (eds.) Raptors worldwide. World Working Group on Birds of Prey, Berlin, and MME/BirdLife Hungary, Budapest.

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