Frightening bird crossing entrance to track (9)

I believe the answer is:
startling
'frightening' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for startling that I've seen before include "Remarkable" , "Producing sudden alarm" , "Causing shock" , "Jaw-dropping" , "Surprising or alarming" .)
