Model bird going after caress (7)
I believe the answer is:
pattern
'model' is the definition.
(pattern is a kind of model)
'bird going after caress' is the wordplay.
'bird' becomes 'tern' (tern is a kind of bird**).
'going after' says to put letters next to each other.
'caress' becomes 'pat' (patting is a kind of caressing).
'tern' after 'pat' is 'PATTERN'.
(Other definitions for pattern that I've seen before include "Stencil" , "Shape or design" , "A guide for making something" , "Repeated design; model" , "Example; decorate" .)