Body Color Inheritance

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Owl finches (cocks and hens) come in two body colors: normal (dark brown) and fawn (light brown).


Fawn is a sex-linked gene which is recessive to normal body (also a sex-linked gene). Because these body colors are sex linked genes, cocks can carry two normal-body genes (and appear normal), two fawn-body genes (and appear fawn), or they can carry one normal-body and one fawn-body gene (and appear normal but be "split" for fawn). Hens can only carry one body color gene, so they either appear fawn or normal. Hens cannot be "split" for fawn.

× Normal cock × Normal hen
Male Offspring	D a m   S i r e        Z Z Z ZZ ZZ W ZW ZW	Female Offspring
All offspring will have a normal body.

× Split-for-fawn cock × Normal hen
Male Offspring	D a m   S i r e        Z Z Z ZZ ZZ W ZW ZW	Female Offspring
Theoretically, half of the cocks produced will be normal and the other half will be split-for-fawn (phenotypically appearing normal); half of the hens will be normal and half will be fawn.

× Fawn cock × Normal hen
Male Offspring	D a m   S i r e        Z Z Z ZZ ZZ W ZW ZW	Female Offspring
All of the cocks produced will be split for fawn (phenotypically appearing normal); all of the hens will be fawn.

× Normal cock × Fawn hen
Male Offspring	D a m   S i r e        Z Z Z ZZ ZZ W ZW ZW	Female Offspring
All cocks produced will be split for fawn (phenotypically appearing normal) & all hens will be normal.

× Split for fawn cock × Fawn hen
Male Offspring	D a m   S i r e        Z Z Z ZZ ZZ W ZW ZW	Female Offspring
Theoretically, half of the cocks produced will be Split for fawn (phenotypically appearing normal) and the other half will be Fawn; half of the hens will be normal and half will be fawn.

× Fawn cock × Fawn hen
Male Offspring	D a m   S i r e        Z Z Z ZZ ZZ W ZW ZW	Female Offspring
All offspring will be Fawn.

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