This stork took the footwear account (8)
I believe the answer is:
shoebill
'this stork took' is the definition.
'shoebill' can be an answer for 'stork' (I have seen 'African stork ' mean 'shoebill' so perhaps 'stork' could also mean 'shoebill'). I'm not sure about the remainder of the definition.
'footwear account' is the wordplay.
'footwear' becomes 'shoe' (shoe is a kind of footwear).
'account' becomes 'bill' (synonyms).
'shoe'+'bill'='SHOEBILL'
'the' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Another definition for shoebill that I've seen is " African stork".)