Carduelis \Carduelis\ n. the type genus of a subfamily {Carduelinae} of the {Fringillidae}, used in some classifications. It includes the goldfinches (such as the American goldfinch, {Cardulis tristis}, and the European goldfinch, {Carduelis carduelis}); siskins; redpolls; and linnets, as well as the common northern cardinal ({Carduelis cardinalis}, also called the {cardinal bird}). Syn: genus {Carduelis}. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]