Bird providing the rations on manoeuvres, etc? (9)
I believe the answer is:
fieldfare
'bird' is the definition.
(fieldfare is a kind of bird)
'the rations on manoeuvres etc?' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'rations' could be 'fare' and 'fare' is located in the answer.
The remaining letters 'field' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'providing' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for fieldfare that I've seen before include "Speckled bird" , "Deaf flier (anag) - migratory thrush" , "Flighty singer" , "Migratory thrush -- FA ref lied (anag)" .)