Internet Colors - Set of 1035

7. Cardinal Color 147 - #C41E3A

A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church.

Cardinal is a vivid red, which gets its name from the cassocks worn by Catholic cardinals (although the color worn by cardinals is actually scarlet). The family of birds takes its name from the color. The first recorded use of cardinal as a color name in English was in the year 1698.

Cardinals, in the family Cardinalidae, are passerine birds found in North and South America. They are also known as cardinal-grosbeaks and cardinal-buntings. The South American cardinals in the genus Paroaria are placed in another family, the Thraupidae (previously placed in Emberizidae). These are robust, seed-eating birds with strong bills. The sexes usually have distinctive appearances.