雕
diāo · HSK 7
bird of prey
🦅 周 circle + 隹 bird = the raptor that circles above its prey
隹 is the classic bird radical. 周 means to circle or go around. A bird known for circling overhead is a raptor — eagle, hawk, falcon. The sound diāo also appears in 雕刻 (to carve), since raptors were carved on ancient weapons.
雕 — 周 (zhōu, phonetic) + 隹 (zhuī, short-tailed bird)
雕 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 隹 'short-tailed bird' gives the meaning (a large bird of prey, the eagle/vulture), while 周 supplies the sound. It was later borrowed for the sense 'to carve, engrave', since fine carving resembles a bird's pecking, and now also writes 凋 'wither' in some compounds.