Low-flying bird (3)
I believe the answer is:
owl
'bird' is the definition.
(owl is a kind of bird)
'low-flying' is the wordplay.
'flying' indicates an anagram (letters fly around into new positions).
'low' anagrammed gives 'OWL'.
(Other definitions for owl that I've seen before include "Bird of prey with front-facing eyes" , "Solemn person" , "Bird of the 18" , "Predator" , "Harry Potter's Hedwig, for instance" .)