Common Yew

Eaten by

• Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus

  Defends Yew berry crops aggressively in winter, chasing off Blackbirds and Fieldfares. A textbook example of resource-defense behaviour (Snow & Snow 1988). The Yew aril is consumed whole while the toxic seed passes unharmed.

Seeds dispersed by

• Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus

  Swallows Yew arils whole, passing the enclosed seed intact. One of the few birds to consume Taxus fruit in significant quantity. A critical dispersal link for a tree with few avian partners.

• FieldfareTurdus pilaris

  Feeds on Yew arils in winter; seeds pass intact through the gut.

Host of

• Yew EndophyteTaxomyces andreanae

  Obligate endophyte living within Yew bark and phloem; first organism other than Taxus itself shown to produce taxol (Stierle et al. 1993).