Four species of bird have been observed visiting the flowers of "B. telmatiaea": the red wattlebird ("Anthochaera carunculata"), silvereye ("Zosterops lateralis"), New Holland honeyeater ("Phylidonyris novaehollandiae") and the brown honeyeater ("Lichmera indistincta"). The introduced European honeybee ("Apis mellifera") is also commonly observed, and visits by ants and "Hylaeus" plasterer bees have been recorded. Visits by nectarivorous mammals have not been directly observed, but their involvement in pollination is certain, as their scats have often been found on inflorescences, and studies of other "Banksia" species have consistently demonstrated their involvement. Moreover, a number of characteristics of the "B. telmatiaea" spike are purported to be adaptations to pollination by nocturnal mammals: the strong, musky odour, the occurrence of inflorescences hidden within the foliage close to the ground, the large amounts of nectar produced, and the pattern of nectar production, which peaks at dawn and dusk. This last adaptation is thought to favour visits by birds and mammals, which feed in the morning and evening respectively, as opposed to insects, which are most active during the day.