In 1931, C. Boden Kloss published Some Birds of Billiton Island in Treubia (vol. XIII, parts 3–4, pp. 293–298). The paper records birds from Billiton and compares some observations with neighbouring regions.
Birds named in the historical record
These are historical scientific names as printed or discussed in the 1931 account. Taxonomy and identifications may have changed; they should not be treated as a modern checklist without verification.
| Historical name | General group |
|---|---|
| Turnix suscitator | Buttonquail |
| Treron curvirostra | Green pigeon |
| Treron fulvicollis | Green pigeon |
| Calornis chalybeus | Starling |
| Hirundo javanica | Swallow |
| Pycnonotus plumosus | Bulbul |
| Aethopyga siparaja | Sunbird |
Why the record matters
Belitung lies between Sumatra and Borneo. A dated collection provides a useful reference point for studying the island's birdlife and how naturalists classified it in the early twentieth century. The source is a historical record, not evidence that every listed species is still present today.