 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 . 
