Bird making harsh sound (4)
I believe the answer is:
ruff
'bird' is the definition.
(ruff is a kind of bird)
'harsh sound' is the wordplay.
'harsh' becomes 'rough' (synonyms).
'sound' indicates a 'sounds like' (homophone) clue.
'rough' is a homophone of 'RUFF'.
'making' is the link.
(Other definitions for ruff that I've seen before include "Starched, frilled collar" , "Starched frill; fish" , "Circular pleated collar - trump" , "Extravagant collar" , "Starched neck frill" .)