I confess! I confess!
Actually this answers a question I had, as to which came first: the Cardinal or the Cardinal. Since the Catholic Cardinal gets its colour from the Roman empire, it definitely came first, as the Cardinal of feathered proportions is a North American species.
Here is a picture of the Cardinal’s most feared predator
And since we are on the topic of “colors”
Many argue men only have a color palette of about 16 colors where women have a palette of about 256 Million. Taupe? Mauve? Eggshell, China White? Lavender? Violet? Ocean Spray?
Makes me wonder if women intern at Crayola 