Flier shows soldier lark’s foot climbing support (8)
I believe the answer is:
parakeet
'flier' is the definition.
(parakeet is a kind of birdanimal)
'soldier lark's foot climbing support' is the wordplay.
'soldier' becomes 'para' (short for paratrooper).
'lark's foot' becomes 'k' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'climbing' says the letters should be written backwards (in a down clue, letters climb up).
'support' becomes 'tee' (tee is a kind of support).
'tee' written backwards gives 'eet'.
'para'+'k'+'eet'='PARAKEET'
'shows' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for parakeet that I've seen before include "Brightly-coloured African bird" , "flapper" , "Flier" , "Colourful singer" , "Small long-tailed bird" .)