Question

A heterozygous (but healthy) male bird and a healthy female bird have offspring. Which percentage of all offspring will have indicated phenotype? Healthy female bird:

Answer 1

When a white-eyed male bird (Xy) and a heterozygous red-eyed female bird (XRXr) mate, their offspring will have a 50% chance for males and females to have red eyes, and a 50% chance for males and females to have white eyes, following X-linked inheritance patterns.

Step-by-step explanation:

To predict the ratio of offspring resulting from a cross between a white-eyed male bird and a heterozygous female bird for red eye color we can use a Punnett square. Assuming that red eye color is dominant over white eye color, and that the gene for eye color is located on the X chromosome (X-linked inheritance), our genetic cross would be between a male with genotype Xy (white eyes) and a female with genotype XRXr (red eyes, heterozygous).

The Punnett square would look as follows:

• XR from female x X from male: XRX (heterozygous female, red eyes)
• XR from female x Y from male: XRY (male, red eyes)
• Xr from female x X from male: XrX (homozygous female, white eyes)
• Xr from female x Y from male: XrY (male, white eyes)

As a result, for their offspring:

• 50% of the males would have red eyes (XRY)
• 50% of the males would have white eyes (XrY)
• 50% of the females would have red eyes and be heterozygous (XRX)
• 50% of the females would have white eyes and be homozygous (XrX)