Short story about bird's claw (5)
I believe the answer is:
talon
'bird's claw' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'short story about' is the wordplay.
'short' means to remove the last letter.
'story' becomes 'tale' (synonyms).
'about' becomes 'on' (as in a book 'on' a certain topic).
'tale' with its final letter removed is 'tal'.
'tal'+'on'='TALON'
(Other definitions for talon that I've seen before include "Eg, an eagle's claw" , "One may be grabbing" , "Claw of a bird of prey" , "Bird's claw" , "Hooker" .)