Conservation and Management

The Vermilion Cardinal is not globally threatened (Least Concern). It is a restricted-range species and a desert-scrub specialist, which is present in the Caribbean Colombia and Venezuela Endemic Bird Area (67 Stattersfield, A. J., M. J. Crosby, A. J. Long, and D. C. Wege (1998). Endemic Bird Areas of the World: Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. BirdLife Conservation Series 7. BirdLife International, Cambridge, UK. Close ). Its global population has not been estimated, but it is thought to be declining largely due to trapping pressure from the caged-bird trade in both Venezuela and Colombia (63 BirdLife International (2024). Species factsheet: Cardinalis phoeniceus. http://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/vermilion-cardinal-cardinalis-phoeniceus Close ), although it is not included on any CITES appendices. In Colombia, the Vermilion Cardinal is considered to be Vulnerable (VU) (53 Renjifo, L. M., A. M. Amaya-Villarreal, J. Burbano-Girón, and J. Velásquez-Tibatá (2016). Libro rojo de aves de Colombia, Volumen II: Ecosistemas abiertos, secos, insulares, acuáticos continentales, marinos, tierras altas del Darién y Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta y bosques húmedos del centro, norte y oriente del país. Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana e Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, Colombia. Close ) and has been on the Colombian Bird Red Data List and the List of Wild Threatened Species since September 15th, 2017.

Habitat Loss and Degradation

Habitat destruction due to sand mining is widespread in some parts of the species' range in Venezuela, particularly on the western portion of Margarita Island and the Falcón lowlands (A. Rodríguez-Ferraro, unpublished data). In some parts of Colombia, desert scrubs and dry forests inhabited by the Vermilion Cardinal are being deforested for agriculture, cattle ranching, charcoal production, and mining, among other things (66 Castro Vásquez, L. D. (2016). Perturbación ambiental analizada por medio de bioindicadores en un fragmento de Bosque Seco Tropical (Bs-T) localizado en el área perimetral del Aeropuerto Jorge Isaacs (Albania, La Guajira, Colombia). M. S. thesis, Universidad de Manizales, Manizales, Colombia. Close ). The species has lost 54.4% of its historical habitat in Colombia, and 19.2% of its habitat in a 10–year period (2001–2011) (53 Renjifo, L. M., A. M. Amaya-Villarreal, J. Burbano-Girón, and J. Velásquez-Tibatá (2016). Libro rojo de aves de Colombia, Volumen II: Ecosistemas abiertos, secos, insulares, acuáticos continentales, marinos, tierras altas del Darién y Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta y bosques húmedos del centro, norte y oriente del país. Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana e Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, Colombia. Close ).

Effects of Invasive Species

Information needed.

Hunting and Trapping

The caged-bird trade; a common and long-standing practice in some regions of Venezuela and Colombia, poses a major threat to the Vermilion Cardinal. Surveys conducted in two communities in the Araya Peninsula (Sucre, Venezuela), found that the Vermilion Cardinal is poached both for local use as a pet and for trade in larger cities (68 Cova, M. and A. Prieto (2015). Indice de valor de uso de la fauna silvestre en comunidades de la Península de Araya, Estado Sucre, Venezuela. Conocimiento Libre y Licenciamiento (CLIC): 11(6):93-102. Close ). Adult males are generally most highly prized, although feathered chicks are also poached directly from nests and raised in captivity.

In Colombia, Vermilion Cardinal have been sold in Cartagena and Barranquilla markets since the 1940s (69 Dugand, A. (1948). Notas ornitológicas colombianas, IV. Caldasia. 5(21): 157-199. Close ) and it is one of the most commonly confiscated species in La Guajira (70 Castaño, G. J. (2000). Evaluación de la avifauna asociada a los humedales costeros del Sector 1 de la Guajira. Informe Final. CORPOGUAJIRA-RICERCA E COOPERAZIONE. Medellín, Colombia. Close ). Between 2009–2010, a total of 124 cardinals were confiscated (53 Renjifo, L. M., A. M. Amaya-Villarreal, J. Burbano-Girón, and J. Velásquez-Tibatá (2016). Libro rojo de aves de Colombia, Volumen II: Ecosistemas abiertos, secos, insulares, acuáticos continentales, marinos, tierras altas del Darién y Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta y bosques húmedos del centro, norte y oriente del país. Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana e Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, Colombia. Close ).

In Venezuela, although the caged-bird trade is illegal, the Vermilion Cardinal is heavily traded in the Cumaná market in Sucre and, as a consequence, populations in that area are particularly vulnerable to trapping pressures (71 Marín-Espinoza, G., S. Guevara-Vallera, A. Prieto-Arcas, J. Muñoz-Gil, and Y. Carvajal-Moreno (2011). Comercialización ilegal de aves silvestres: un caso en Venezuela. The Biologist 9(1):38-52. Close ). In Falcón, western Venezuela, there are also reports of illegal sales of Vermilion Cardinals on roadsides (72 Flores, M. A. (2016). Dinámica de la reserva de fauna silvestre Hueque-Sauca, municipio Píritu, Estado Falcón. Terra Nueva Etapa XXXII(52):103-137. Close ).

Pesticides and Other Contaminants/Toxics

Information needed.

Collisions with Stationary/Moving Structures or Objects

In some parts of the Macanao Peninsula (Margarita Island, Venezuela), Vermilion Cardinals have been observed colliding with vehicles as they attempt to cross roads (A. Rodríguez-Ferraro, personal observations).

Conservation Areas

In Colombia, there are two protected areas within the distributional range of the Vermilion Cardinal: Santuario de Flora y Fauna Los Flamencos and Parque Nacional Natural Macuira, both of which are in La Guajira (53 Renjifo, L. M., A. M. Amaya-Villarreal, J. Burbano-Girón, and J. Velásquez-Tibatá (2016). Libro rojo de aves de Colombia, Volumen II: Ecosistemas abiertos, secos, insulares, acuáticos continentales, marinos, tierras altas del Darién y Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta y bosques húmedos del centro, norte y oriente del país. Editorial Pontificia Universidad Javeriana e Instituto Alexander von Humboldt, Bogotá, Colombia. Close ). In Venezuela, the species is found in four national parks: Parque Nacional Laguna de La Restinga (Margarita Island), Parque Nacional Cerro El Copey (Margarita Island), Parque Nacional Los Médanos de Coro (Falcón), and Parque Nacional Cerro Saroche (Lara). It is also found in three national monuments: Las Tetas de María Guevara (Margarita Island), Montecano (Falcón), and Cerro Santa Ana (Falcón) (73 Lentino, M., and D. Esclasans (2005). Áreas Importantes para la Conservación de las Aves en Venezuela. In Áreas Importantes para la Conservación de las Aves en los Andes Tropicales (K. A. Boyla and A. Estrada, Editors), Serie de Conservación de BirdLife, No. 14. BirdLife International and Conservation International, Quito, Ecuador. pp. 621–730. Close ).

Conservation Measures and Habitat Management

There is a conservation action plan for the species in the Colombian Guajira, which includes such priorities as: research and monitoring to evaluate population size and assess the amount and quality of the remaining habitat, education and awareness to develop campaigns to protect the species and its habitat, and protection to increase the number of protected areas within the species' range (74 Morales Rozo, A. (2006). Monitoreo de aves migratorias y residentes en siete humedales de La Guajira. Informe Final. Corpoguajira-Conservación Internacional. Bogotá, Colombia. Close ).

Effectiveness of Measures

Information is needed.