Brontë heroine reserves island home for birds (5)
I believe the answer is:
eyrie
'home for birds' is the definition.
'bronte heroine reserves island' is the wordplay.
'bronte heroine' becomes 'eyre' (Jane Eyre).
'reserves' indicates putting letters inside.
'island' becomes 'i'.
'eyre' enclosing 'i' is 'EYRIE'.
(Other definitions for eyrie that I've seen before include "home hard to reach" , "lofty dwelling" , "high point" , "animal home" , "elevated position" .)