The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word BEE-EATER
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
B
E
E
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E
A
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More clues leading to the result BEE-EATER
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "bird" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case bird = bee-eater.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 BEE-EATER mean?
BEE-EATER noun- Any of various brightly-coloured, insectivorous, near-passerine birds in the family Meropidae, especially the European bee-eater, Merops apiaster.