The cere is where a birds' nostrils are located on top of the base of the upper mandible. In some families such as hawks, falcons, owls and parrots; the nostrils open through a fleshy covering called a cere. The colour of the cere can be an aid to differentiating among certain species of raptors [1].
^Garrigues, Richard and Dean, Robert (2007). The Birds of Costa Rica. Zona Tropical Publication. ISBN9780801473739. CS1 maint: Multiple names: authors list (link)
This article is part of Project Glossary, a All Birds project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each term related to animals.