Bird, small, looking pale (4)
I believe the answer is:
swan
'bird' is the definition.
(I know that swan is a type of aquatic bird)
'small looking pale' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'looking pale' becomes 'wan' (I've seen this in another clue).
's'+'wan'='SWAN'
(Other definitions for swan that I've seen before include "Large waterbird" , "Sweet name 8 [OF SHAKESPEARE]" , "Cob - pen" , "Large, web-footed bird" , "Large, long-necked bird" .)