Cryptic crossword clue
Changeling having ruffled his feathers, parent initially crushed 5-7

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 plus 7 letter word SHAPE SHIFTER

I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Changeling" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case changeling = shape shifter.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does SHAPE SHIFTER mean?

SHAPE SHIFTER noun
  1. A person or other being capable of changing their physical form.

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