Bird had equipment before start of expedition (4)
I believe the answer is:
kite
'bird' is the definition.
(kite is a kind of bird)
'equipment before start of expedition' is the wordplay.
'equipment' becomes 'kit' (kit is a kind of equipment**).
'before' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'start of' suggests taking the first letters.
The initial letter of 'expedition' is 'e'.
'kit'+'e'='KITE'
'had' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for kite that I've seen before include "Soaring bird of prey" , "aeroplane" , "flyer" , "Hawk-like bird" , "It's flown in the wind at the end of a string" .)