Follow bird after hours (7)
I believe the answer is:
emulate
'follow' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'bird after hours' is the wordplay.
'bird' becomes 'emu' (emu is a kind of bird).
'after hours' becomes 'late' (I've seen this in other clues).
'emu'+'late'='EMULATE'
(Other definitions for emulate that I've seen before include "Try to equal by imitation" , "Imitate, try to equal" , "Copy - rival" , "Try to equal or excel" , "Ape" .)