Ignoring the odds, finches followed calf (3,4)
I believe the answer is:
ice floe
'calf' is the definition.
(thesaurus)
'ignoring the odds finches followed' is the wordplay.
'ignoring the odds' means one should take alternating letters (letters in odd-numbered positions are removed).
'finches'+'followed'='finchesfollowed'
The alternating letters of 'finchesfollowed' are 'ICE-FLOE'.
(Other definitions for ice floe that I've seen before include "Large sheet of frozen water" , "Large frozen sheet floating at sea" , "Hazard to shipping" , "Cold sheet" , "Frozen floating object" .)