Flier near pitch around the centre of Dijon (8)
I believe the answer is:
nightjar
'flier' is the definition.
(nightjar is a kind of birdanimal)
'near pitch around the centre of dijon' is the wordplay.
'near' becomes 'nigh' ('nigh' can be a synonym of 'near'**).
'pitch' becomes 'tar' ('tar' can be a synonym of 'pitch').
'around' is an insertion indicator.
'the centre of' says to take the centre.
The middle of 'dijon' is 'j'.
'tar' going around 'j' is 'tjar'.
'nigh'+'tjar'='NIGHTJAR'
(Other definitions for nightjar that I've seen before include "Nocturnal bird with harsh cry" , "Nocturnal bird related to the swift" , "flier" , "Noct. bird (of harsh cry)" , "Winger" .)