Bird is cold, needing cover for head (4)
I believe the answer is:
chat
'bird' is the definition.
(chat is a kind of bird)
'cold needing cover for head' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'cold' could be 'c' (abbreviation, eg on taps) and 'c' is found within the answer.
'cover' could be 'hat' (cover for one's head) and 'hat' is present in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'is' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for chat that I've seen before include "Talk familiarly" , "Have friendly informal conversation" , "Exchange text or voice messages through a computer" , "Talking" , "(13) [FRENCH] Cat" .)