The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word WADER
I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
W
A
D
E
R
More clues leading to the result WADER
- Leggy bird, one proceeding with difficulty?
- Witness, at the start, a return of colourful bird
- Bird‘s call for service in New York?
- One of 19 for one of French in-fighting
- Sort of bird to deviate, missing north
- Drew a dicky bird
- Struggle to grasp wings of delicate bird
- Ford Corsair’s rear boot
- Action to secure both sides of dragline crane, maybe
- Looking embarrassed, a wife over boot
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Sort of bird" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case sort of bird = wader.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 WADER mean?
WADER noun- One who wades.
- (chiefly in the plural) A waterproof boot that comes up to the hip, used by fishermen, etc.
- A long-legged bird associated with wetland or coastal environments.