Crossword Genius

Opener in difficulty to collect duck (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

drake

'duck' is the definition.
(drake is a male duck)

'opener in difficulty to collect' is the wordplay.
'opener in' suggests taking the first letters (the letter which opens the word).
'to collect' becomes 'rake' (raking is a kind of collecting).
The first letter of 'difficulty' is 'd'.
'd'+'rake'='DRAKE'

(Other definitions for drake that I've seen before include "Male billed" , "Aquatic bird" , "Ship" , "Elizabethan sailor" , "Male water-bird" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent and The Guardian.
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