Possible Clues:

• Lowers oneself for safety's sake
• Avoids birds
• As they grow up they grow down
• Dear sort of cotton with seamless finish
• Waterfowl whose young inspired this puzzle's theme
• Poor scores used for some Mamet variations?
• Birds — term of endearment (informal)
• Donald's perhaps out for nothing more than once
• Sidesteps
• Birds with webbed feet