Groom ripping scarlet wrapping from present (5)
I believe the answer is:
preen
'groom' is the definition.
(a bird grooms itself by preening feathers)
'ripping scarlet wrapping from present' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'from' could be 'e' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'e' is present in the answer.
'present' could be 'pr' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'pr' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'en' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for preen that I've seen before include "Maintain" , "Dress or smooth, feathers say" , "Groom with elaborate care" , "Vainly groom oneself" , "Beautify" .)