Or making a comeback in the role of the flier (6)
I believe the answer is:
parrot
'the flier' is the definition.
(parrot is a kind of birdanimal)
'or making a comeback in the role' is the wordplay.
'making a comeback' says the letters should be written in reverse.
'in the' is an insertion indicator.
'role' becomes 'part' (eg a part or role in a film).
'or' written backwards gives 'ro'.
'ro' inserted within 'part' is 'PARROT'.
'of' is the link.
(Other definitions for parrot that I've seen before include "Tropical bird, may talk" , "Brightly-coloured tropical bird" , "Avian mimic" , "Chant" , "Ape" .)