Many a bird would see it as food (4)
I believe the answer is:
grub
'food' is the definition.
(grub is a kind of food)
I don't understand how the remainder of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for grub that I've seen before include "Nosh - larva" , "Gentle, food" , "Eats - larva" , "Food (informal)" , "ferret > eats" .)