Species names in all available languages
Language | Common name |
---|---|
Dutch | Vermiljoenkardinaal |
English | Vermilion Cardinal |
English (United States) | Vermilion Cardinal |
French | Cardinal vermillon |
French (France) | Cardinal vermillon |
German | Purpurkardinal |
Japanese | ミナミショウジョウコウカンチョウ |
Norwegian | sinoberkardinal |
Polish | kardynał pąsowy |
Russian | Пурпурный кардинал |
Serbian | Vermilion kardinal |
Slovak | kardinál purpurový |
Spanish | Cardenal de la Guajira |
Spanish (Spain) | Cardenal de la Guajira |
Spanish (Venezuela) | Cardenal Coriano |
Swedish | cinnoberkardinal |
Turkish | Guahira Kardinalı |
Ukrainian | Кардинал південний |
Revision Notes
Adriana Rodríguez-Ferraro revised the account as part of a partnership with Unión Venezolana de Ornitólogos (UVO). Peter Pyle contributed to the Plumages, Molts, and Structure page. Guy M. Kirwan contributed to the Systematics page. Adriana Rodríguez-Ferraro and Arnau Bonan Barfull curated the media. JoAnn Hackos, Robin K. Murie, and Robin K. Murie copy edited the draft.
Cardinalis phoeniceus Bonaparte, 1838
Definitions
- CARDINALIS
- cardinalis
- phoenicea / phoeniceum / phoeniceus
The Key to Scientific Names
Legend Overview
Vermilion Cardinal Cardinalis phoeniceus Scientific name definitions
Version: 2.0 — Published February 23, 2024
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Introduction
Ethno-ornithology
The Vermilion Cardinal, or "lisho," is an important cultural symbol for the Wayúu people of the Guajira Peninsula of northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela (75, 50). In Wayúu lore, the first woman, Wolunka, had a toothed vagina that prevented her from reproducing with men. Two twins, Maayüi and Juyá, sought to remove the teeth. They came upon Wolunka who was bathing in a river in what is today the Parque Nacional Natural Macuira in Guajira, Colombia, and one shot an arrow at her vagina, which knocked the teeth out and caused Wolunka to bleed. Her blood stained the rock where she sat, and colored the river and the birds bathing in it, giving the Vermilion Cardinal its bright red plumage. This myth is variously used to explain menstruation, sexual reproduction, and the origin of the Wayúu people (75).