Crossword Genius

He has a cockeyed view of early rising (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

rooster

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'he has a cockeyed view' is the definition.
Although both the answer and definition are singular nouns, I don't understand how they can define each other.

'of early rising' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'of' could be 'o' and 'o' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 'roster' 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 rooster that I've seen before include "8 [RURAL] alarm call" , "Cockerel (mainly US)" , "Domestic cock" , "Male domestic fowl in USA" , "Adult male domestic fowl" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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