Bird leaves lake (4)

I believe the answer is:

teal

'bird' is the definition.
(type of duck)

'leaves lake' is the wordplay.
'leaves' becomes 'tea' (as in tea leaves).
'lake' becomes 'l' (geographical abbreviation).
'tea'+'l'='TEAL'

(Other definitions for teal that I've seen before include "bird" , "Raise (subject matter)" , "Dark greenish-blue colour" , "Variety of duck" , "Variety of small ducks" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph and The Guardian.

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