Birds giving distressed cries not initially heard (4)
I believe the answer is:
owls
'birds giving' is the definition.
'owls' can be an answer for 'birds' (I've seen this before). I am unsure of the 'giving' bit.
I cannot understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for owls that I've seen before include "Slow sort of birds" , "Slow (anag) -- birds of prey" , "Nocturnal birds" , "Night birds" , "Avian symbols of wisdom" .)