Mammal taking bird in both hands (5)
I believe the answer is:
lemur
'mammal' is the definition.
(lemur is a kind of mammal)
'bird in both hands' is the wordplay.
'bird' becomes 'emu' (emu is a kind of bird).
'in' indicates putting letters inside.
'both hands' becomes 'lr' (abbreviations for left and right).
'emu' put within 'lr' is 'LEMUR'.
'taking' is the link.
(Other definitions for lemur that I've seen before include "Monkey-like animal of Madagascar" , "Tree-living primate" , "Monkey-like creature of Madagascar" , "Madagascan primate" , "Large-eyed animal with foxy face and furry tail" .)