The Cardinal is an extraordinary bird that draws the attention from anyone looking in it’s direction. Because of this, it is no surprise this bird holds a great deal of symbolism in different cultures and for those that wear the cardinal tattoo, it can have multiple meanings.

In this article, we want to go through some of the different meanings behind the cardinal tattoo and what it means to different people. By the end, we hope you will have a better understanding of what the cardinal tattoo means and what it might possibly mean to you when you get it.

About the Cardinal

As far as what one might think of when talking about a cardinal, most would be talking about the male cardinal. The shade of red given off by the male cardinal is stunning and it’s most likely the reason that someone might open up the bird guide to read up on this bird. The female cardinal is a shade of yellow and most people wouldn’t even know it was a cardinal. The don’t migrate during the winter and they don’t molt which makes the male cardinal even more stunning when you see it with a snowy background.

They reside in mostly the Eastern half of the United States and much of Mexico. In these areas, you can usually find the Northern Cardinals in parks, backyards and amongst the shrubs of dense forests. They forage near or even on the ground so you can find these beautiful birds close to the forest floor.

Cardinal Symbolism

As stated above, the cardinal represents a few different ideas. One could guess by gazing upon this magnificent bird that it would hold a special place in the hearts of those that see this bird flying through the air.

Christmas

These birds represent Christmas and that symbolism started back in Germany when craftsmen would build birdhouses for these birds as they didn’t migrate and were always around in winter. They are also a wonder to see so keeping them around and out of the harsh elements were in the interests of the birds and builder alike. Soon, seeing a cardinal around the Christmas holiday represented compassion, happiness and hope along with other positive feelings associated with this time of year.