Spot Italian bird (5)
I believe the answer is:
pipit
'bird' is the definition.
(pipit is a kind of bird)
'spot italian' is the wordplay.
'spot' becomes 'pip' (both can mean a small amount).
'italian' becomes 'it' (abbreviation for Italian).
'pip'+'it'='PIPIT'
(Other definitions for pipit that I've seen before include "Ground-dwelling songbird" , "Meadowland bird" , "Songbird with streaky brown plumage" , "Titlark" , "Singer" .)