NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cardinal Honeyeater
Myzomela cardinalis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
The cardinal myzomela (Myzomela cardinalis) a species of passerine bird in the honeyeater family Meliphagidae. It is named for the scarlet color of the male. It is permanent resident to the Loyalty Islands of New Caledonia, Temotu and Makira-Ulawa of the Solomon Islands, and the entirety of Vanuatu. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical mangrove forest. It frequents areas with flowers, such as gardens. This is a small, active bird, measuring about 13 cm (5.1 in) from bill to tail. Males are red and black in coloration, females are grayish-olive, sometimes with a red cap or red head. Its long, curved bill is especially adapted for reaching into flowers for nectar. It has sometimes been considered as conspecific with the Samoan myzomela (Myzomela nigriventris).
Wikipedia contributors, Cardinal myzomela; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T07:37:10.554554+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Myzomela cardinalis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Name authority
- (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
- Common name
- Cardinal Honeyeater
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Meliphagidae
- Genus
- Myzomela
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyMeliphagidae
- genusMyzomela Vigors & Horsfield, 1827
- speciesMyzomela cardinalis (J. F. Gmelin, 1788)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Myzomela. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Drab MyzomelaMyzomela blasii (Salvadori, 1882) | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ruby-throated MyzomelaMyzomela eques (R. Lesson & Garnot, 1827) | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-headed MyzomelaMyzomela erythrocephala Gould, 1840 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Crimson-hooded MyzomelaMyzomela kuehni Rothschild, 1903 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-capped MyzomelaMyzomela lafargei Pucheran, 1853 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Malaita MyzomelaMyzomela malaitae Mayr, 1931 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Black MyzomelaMyzomela nigrita G. R. Gray, 1858 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Bismarck Black MyzomelaMyzomela pammelaena P. L. Sclater, 1877 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-collared MyzomelaMyzomela rosenbergii Schlegel, 1871 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Scarlet MyzomelaMyzomela sanguinolenta (Latham, 1801) | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Scarlet-bibbed MyzomelaMyzomela sclateri W. A. Forbes, 1879 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Sooty MyzomelaMyzomela tristrami E. P. Ramsay, 1881 | MeliphagidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Oceania
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=178823 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:45HVJ. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.