Bird needing hot love? (8)
I believe the answer is:
flamingo
'bird' is the definition.
(flamingo is a kind of bird)
'hot love?' is the wordplay.
'hot' becomes 'flaming' (similar in meaning).
'love?' becomes 'o' (love means zero in tennis).
'flaming'+'o'='FLAMINGO'
'needing' is the link.
(Other definitions for flamingo that I've seen before include "Wading bird with pink and red plumage" , "Tall wading bird" , "Long-legged wader" , "Pretty bird" , "Large pink bird" .)