Characters in panto use lewdness, getting the bird (5)
I believe the answer is:
ousel
'the bird' is the definition.
(ousel is a kind of bird)
'characters in panto use lewdness' is the wordplay.
'characters in' says the answer is hidden in the clue.
'OUSEL' can be found hidden inside 'panto use lewdness'.
'getting' is the link.
(Other definitions for ousel that I've seen before include "Ring bird" , "Louse (anag.); blackbird" , "18's [BIRD]" , "Archaic name for blackbird" , "Feathered vertebrate" .)