Crossword Genius

A garden implement piercing pet bird (8)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

parakeet

'bird' is the definition.
(parakeet is a kind of bird)

'a garden implement piercing pet' is the wordplay.
'garden implement' becomes 'rake' (I've seen this before).
'piercing' is an insertion indicator (some letters pierce a hole in others).
'a'+'rake'='arake'
'arake' put within 'pet' is 'PARAKEET'.

(Other definitions for parakeet that I've seen before include "Tropical bird" , "Small long-tailed parrot" , "Small long-tailed bird" , "Bird popular as a pet" , "Take pear (anag) - bird" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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