The yellow cardinal (Gubernatrix cristata) is a species of South American bird in the tanager family Thraupidae.

The yellow cardinal was formally described in 1817 by the French ornithologist Louis Pierre Vieillot under the binomial name Coccothraustes cristata.

[5] The species was moved to its own genus Gubernatrix by the French naturalist René Lesson in 1837.

[8] A comprehensive study of the tanagers published in 2014 found strong support for a sister relationship between the yellow cardinal and the diuca finch.

[12] Males are trapped at a higher rate than females, and the yellow cardinal is considered endangered due to the constant entrapment.