Crossword Genius

Take small bird (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

steal

'take' is the definition.
(stealing is a kind of taking)

'small bird' is the wordplay.
'small' becomes 's' (abbreviation - e.g. clothes size).
'bird' becomes 'teal' (type of duck).
's'+'teal'='STEAL'

(Other definitions for steal that I've seen before include "Pilfer" , "Take without permission" , "a snip!" , "Rob" , "Take illegally" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
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