As with other "Banksia" species, "B. brownii" is a heavy producer of nectar, and serves as a food source for a range of nectariferous birds, mammals and insects. Honeyeaters such as "Phylidonyris novaehollandiae" (New Holland honeyeater), "Acanthorhynchus superciliosus" (western spinebill) and "Anthochaera carunculata" (red wattlebird) are frequent visitors that often carry heavy pollen loads, making them important pollinators. Nocturnal mammals such as "Rattus fuscipes" (bush rat) and "Tarsipes rostratus" (honey possum) also carry heavy pollen loads, but the foraging behaviour of bush rats suggests that these may transfer pollen only over very short distances. Invertebrate visitors include the introduced "Apis mellifera" (western honeybee), native bees, flies and ants; bees appear to be effective pollinators, but ants and flies forage only at the base of flowers and do not come in contact with plant pollen.