AviBase MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AI assistants with access to comprehensive bird data through the AviBase dataset. This server acts as a bridge between AI assistants and bird taxonomic, conservation, and geographic data.

🦅 Overview

The AviBase MCP Server gives AI assistants access to a comprehensive bird database containing:

40,000+ bird records with taxonomic classification
IUCN Red List conservation statuses
Geographic distribution data
Taxonomic authority information
Extinction status and historical data
Advanced query capabilities with JSONata

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

Node.js (version 14 or higher)
npm or yarn package manager

Install via npm

npm install @kshayk/avibase-mcp

Install from source

git clone <repository-url>
cd mcp-package
npm install

⚙️ Configuration

For Claude Desktop

Add the server to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

On macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json On Windows: %APPDATA%/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "avibase": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@kshayk/avibase-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

For other MCP clients

Run the server with stdio transport:

node mcp-server.js

🛠️ Available Tools

1. `get_bird_stats`

Get comprehensive statistics about the bird dataset.

Usage: get_bird_stats()

Returns: Total records, species count, families, orders, conservation categories

2. `search_birds`

Search for birds by scientific or common name with fuzzy matching.

Parameters:

query (required): Search term for bird name
exact (optional): Use exact matching (default: false)
limit (optional): Maximum results (default: 20)

Example: search_birds({query: "eagle", limit: 10})

3. `get_birds_by_taxonomy`

Filter birds by taxonomic classification.

Parameters:

level (required): Taxonomic level ("Order", "Family", or "Taxon_rank")
value (required): Value to filter by (e.g., "Strigiformes" for owls)
limit (optional): Maximum results (default: 50)

Example: get_birds_by_taxonomy({level: "Order", value: "Strigiformes"})

4. `get_conservation_status`

Get birds by IUCN Red List conservation status.

Parameters:

category (required): IUCN category (CR, EN, VU, NT, LC, DD, EX, EW)
limit (optional): Maximum results (default: 50)

Example: get_conservation_status({category: "CR"}) (Critically Endangered)

5. `get_birds_by_region`

Find birds by geographic region or range.

Parameters:

region (required): Geographic region to search
limit (optional): Maximum results (default: 50)

Example: get_birds_by_region({region: "Madagascar"})

6. `get_extinct_species`

Get all extinct or possibly extinct bird species.

Parameters:

limit (optional): Maximum results (default: 100)

7. `get_birds_by_authority`

Find birds described by a specific taxonomic authority.

Parameters:

authority (required): Name of the taxonomic authority
limit (optional): Maximum results (default: 50)

Example: get_birds_by_authority({authority: "Linnaeus"})

8. `get_random_birds`

Get a random sample of birds for exploration.

Parameters:

count (optional): Number of random birds (default: 10, max: 50)

9. `get_bird_report`

Get a detailed report for a specific bird species.

Parameters:

scientific_name (required): Scientific name of the bird

Example: get_bird_report({scientific_name: "Aquila chrysaetos"})

10. `custom_bird_query`

Perform complex queries with multiple filters.

Parameters:

filters (required): Object with field-value pairs for filtering
limit (optional): Maximum results (default: 50)

Example:

custom_bird_query({
  filters: {
    Family: "Accipitridae",
    IUCN_Red_List_Category: ["CR", "EN"]
  }
})

11. `execute_jsonata_query`

Execute raw JSONata queries for advanced data analysis.

Parameters:

query (required): JSONata query expression
limit (optional): Maximum results for arrays (default: 50)

Example: execute_jsonata_query({query: "$count($[Taxon_rank = \"species\"])"})

📊 Data Coverage

Taxonomic Coverage

All major bird orders and families
Species, subspecies, and other taxonomic ranks
Historical taxonomic authorities
Type localities and original descriptions

Geographic Coverage

Worldwide distribution data
Regional filtering capabilities
Range descriptions and habitat information

🔍 Example Use Cases

Conservation Research

// Find all critically endangered raptors
custom_bird_query({
  filters: {
    Family: "Accipitridae",
    IUCN_Red_List_Category: ["CR"]
  }
})

Taxonomic Studies

// Get all species described by Linnaeus
get_birds_by_authority({authority: "Linnaeus", limit: 100})

Regional Biodiversity

// Explore bird diversity in Australia
get_birds_by_region({region: "Australia", limit: 200})

Data Analysis

// Count endangered species by family
execute_jsonata_query({
  query: "$reduce($[IUCN_Red_List_Category = \"EN\"], function($acc, $val) { ($acc[$.Family] := ($acc[$.Family] ? $acc[$.Family] : 0) + 1; $acc) }, {})"
})

🌐 API Endpoint

The server connects to: http://shayk.dev/avibase-mcp

🤝 Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the ISC License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

AviBase for providing comprehensive bird data
Model Context Protocol team for the MCP framework
The birding and ornithology community for their contributions to avian science

📞 Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please:

Open an issue on GitHub
Contact: Shay Kintzlinger

Note: This MCP server requires an internet connection to access the AviBase API endpoints.

Deploy Server

HTTP connection URL

security – no known vulnerabilities

license - not found

quality - confirmed to work

How are these scores calculated?

remote-capable server

The server can be hosted and run remotely because it primarily relies on remote services or has no dependency on the local environment.

Tools

View all tools

A Model Context Protocol server that provides AI assistants with access to comprehensive bird data, enabling queries across taxonomic classifications, conservation statuses, and geographic distributions from the AviBase dataset.

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