Crossword Genius

Friend ringing a seabird taking protective interest (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

paternal

'protective interest' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'friend ringing a seabird' is the wordplay.
'friend' becomes 'pal' (pal can mean a friend).
'ringing' is an insertion indicator.
'seabird' becomes 'tern' (tern is a kind of seabird).
'a'+'tern'='atern'
'pal' placed around 'atern' is 'PATERNAL'.

'taking' acts as a link.

(Other definitions for paternal that I've seen before include "Fatherly in pre-natal mode" , "protective interest" , "Dad's" , "Related on the father's side" , "Fatherly in prenatal way" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.