American tortoise jumped into water to get bird (10)
I believe the answer is:
turtledove
'american tortoise jumped into water' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'get bird' is the wordplay.
'get' becomes 'turtle' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'bird' becomes 'dove' (dove is a kind of bird).
'turtle'+'dove'='TURTLEDOVE'
'to' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for turtledove that I've seen before include "Loving bird" , "Apparently affectionate bird" , "Bird noted for attention to its mate" , "Bird given on the second day of Christmas" .)