Bird takes gherkins, if desperate (10)
I believe the answer is:
kingfisher
'bird' is the definition.
(kingfisher is a kind of bird)
'gherkins if desperate' is the wordplay.
'desperate' indicates anagramming the letters (a desperate or pathetic spelling).
'gherkins'+'if'='gherkinsif'
'gherkinsif' anagrammed gives 'KINGFISHER'.
'takes' is the link.
(Other definitions for kingfisher that I've seen before include "Brightly-coloured bird" , "Creature" , "Colourful river bird" , "Colourful bird seen by streams and rivers" , "big-headed beaky type" .)