Search for species in the GBIF taxonomic backbone. Supports filtering by rank, status, habitat, threat level, and more.

Get detailed information about a specific species by its GBIF key.

Get species name suggestions for autocomplete functionality.

Fuzzy match a species name against the GBIF backbone taxonomy.

Get vernacular (common) names for a species in multiple languages. Returns preferred names when available.

Get all synonyms and alternative scientific names for a species. Useful for name resolution and historical name tracking.

Get direct taxonomic children of a taxon (e.g., species under a genus, subspecies under a species). Useful for exploring taxonomy hierarchically.

Get the complete taxonomic classification path from kingdom down to the specified taxon. Returns the full hierarchy including all parent taxa. Useful for breadcrumb navigation and understanding taxonomic position.

Get textual descriptions for a species from various sources. Includes morphological descriptions, habitat information, behavior, and other narrative content.

Get known geographic distribution records for a species. Includes information about occurrence status, establishment means, and locality details.

Get associated multimedia records for a species including images, sounds, and videos. Returns URLs and metadata for media resources from various sources.

Get quick occurrence statistics for a species without running full searches. Returns total occurrence count, dataset count, country count, and basis of record breakdown. Fast endpoint perfect for species profile pages, dashboards, and quick data availability checks.

Parse and standardize scientific names in batch using GBIF's name parser. Extracts genus, species, authorship, rank, and more from scientific name strings. Essential for data cleaning, quality checking, and standardizing names from spreadsheets or databases. Handles up to 1000 names per request.

Get related species including siblings (same parent taxon), variants, and associated taxa. Useful for taxonomic exploration, "see also" functionality, discovering similar species, and understanding taxonomic relationships. Returns species at the same taxonomic level with shared higher classification.

Search GBIF occurrence records (species observations and specimens) with comprehensive filtering by taxonomy, geography, time, data quality, and more. Returns paginated results with optional facets for aggregations.

Get complete details for a single occurrence record including verbatim fields, interpretation history, media, and data quality issues.

Fast endpoint for counting occurrences matching filters without retrieving full records. Useful for statistics, dashboards, and filter validation before running full searches.

Request an asynchronous download for large occurrence datasets beyond pagination limits (100,000+ records). Returns a download key for checking status. REQUIRES AUTHENTICATION: Set GBIF_USERNAME and GBIF_PASSWORD environment variables.

Helper tool to build a download predicate from simple search parameters. Converts occurrence search filters into the complex predicate format required by the download API.

Check the status and retrieve metadata for an occurrence download request. Returns status, download link when ready, record count, and file size.

Get the original, unprocessed occurrence record as provided by the publisher, before GBIF interpretation. Includes all original Darwin Core fields with full URIs.

Get occurrence counts broken down by basis of record type (observations, specimens, etc.). Returns a breakdown showing how many occurrences of each type match your filters. Essential for understanding dataset composition and data quality. Very fast - use for dashboards and quick statistics.

Get occurrence counts broken down by year for temporal trend analysis. Returns year-by-year counts showing how observations have accumulated over time. Perfect for time series visualization, identifying data collection patterns, and understanding temporal coverage. Fast endpoint for dashboards.

Get occurrence counts broken down by country for geographic distribution analysis. Returns counts per country showing global distribution patterns. Essential for understanding species ranges, identifying data gaps by region, and prioritizing conservation efforts. Fast statistics endpoint.

Get occurrence counts broken down by the country of the publishing organization. Shows which countries are contributing data, useful for understanding data provider distribution, identifying data collaboration opportunities, and analyzing global participation in GBIF. Different from occurrence country (where specimen was collected).

Get occurrence counts broken down by contributing dataset. Identifies which datasets contribute most records for a given query. Essential for data attribution, understanding data sources, finding primary datasets for a taxon/region, and acknowledging data providers. Returns dataset UUIDs with counts.

Get occurrence counts broken down by species (GBIF backbone speciesKey) for taxonomic composition analysis. Returns counts per species within the filtered taxon, most frequent first (top 100). Useful for understanding biodiversity patterns, identifying dominant species, and analyzing taxonomic coverage within a higher taxon. Fast statistics for ecological analysis.

Get occurrence counts broken down by publishing organization UUID. Identifies which institutions are contributing the most data for a query. Essential for data attribution, understanding institutional contributions, acknowledging data providers, and analyzing organizational participation. Returns organization UUIDs with occurrence counts.

Search for datasets in the GBIF registry. Find published datasets by type, keyword, publisher, geographic coverage, and taxonomic scope. Essential for discovering data sources and understanding dataset metadata.

Get complete metadata for a specific GBIF dataset by its UUID. Returns full dataset details including title, description, contacts, endpoints, geographic/taxonomic coverage, and citation information.

Get occurrence statistics and quality metrics for a dataset. Returns counts by basis of record, country, year, and data quality indicators. Useful for understanding dataset composition and coverage.

Get the EML (Ecological Metadata Language) metadata document for a dataset. Returns structured XML metadata including dataset description, contacts, geographic/taxonomic/temporal coverage, methods, and project information. Essential for proper dataset citation, understanding data collection methods, and accessing complete metadata.

Search for data-publishing organizations in the GBIF network. Find museums, herbaria, research institutions, and other biodiversity data publishers. Use to discover data providers and understand institutional participation.

Get complete details for a specific data-publishing organization. Returns contacts, addresses, datasets published, endorsement status, and institutional information.

List all datasets published by a specific organization. Shows the complete catalog of datasets contributed by an institution. Useful for understanding an organization's data contributions and portfolio.

Search for dataset networks in GBIF. Networks are collaborative groups that organize related datasets (e.g., eBird, iNaturalist, Ocean Biodiversity Information System). Use to discover thematic data collections and partnerships.

Get complete details for a specific dataset network. Returns network metadata, constituent datasets, contacts, and description. Use to understand collaborative data initiatives and their scope.

List all constituent datasets within a specific network. Shows which datasets are part of a collaborative network. Useful for exploring thematic data collections like eBird observations or marine biodiversity networks.

Search for IPT (Integrated Publishing Toolkit) installations in the GBIF network. IPTs are servers that host and publish biodiversity datasets. Use to find technical infrastructure and data hosting platforms.

Get complete details for a specific IPT or data server installation. Returns technical endpoint information, hosting organization, and datasets served by this installation.

Search the Global Registry of Scientific Collections (GRSciColl) for natural history collections. Find museum collections, herbaria, tissue collections, and other scientific collections worldwide. Use to discover physical specimen holdings and their metadata.

Get complete details for a specific scientific collection from GRSciColl. Returns collection metadata, institutional affiliation, specimen holdings, contacts, and preservation methods. Essential for understanding physical specimen repositories.

Search for scientific institutions in the Global Registry of Scientific Collections (GRSciColl). Find museums, herbaria, universities, and research institutions that house natural history collections worldwide.

Get complete details for a specific scientific institution from GRSciColl. Returns institutional metadata, collections housed, contacts, addresses, and identifiers. Use to understand institution profiles and their collection holdings.

List GBIF participant nodes (national/organizational participants). Nodes represent countries or organizations that participate in GBIF governance and data sharing. Essential for understanding GBIF network structure, national participation, and institutional membership.

Get complete details for a GBIF participant node. Returns node metadata, contacts, participation type, country information, and endorsement details. Use to understand national GBIF participation, governance structure, and institutional membership.

Generate a URL for occurrence map tiles with customizable styling and filters. Returns tile URLs in standard web Mercator projection (EPSG:3857) for use in web mapping applications, GIS software, or direct visualization.

Generate URL for occurrence vector tiles in Mapbox Vector Tile (MVT) format. Vector tiles enable client-side styling, interactivity, and dynamic rendering. Ideal for web mapping libraries like Mapbox GL JS, Leaflet with vector tile plugins, or OpenLayers.

Generate URL for pre-rendered PNG density map tiles. Raster tiles show occurrence density with various color schemes. Fast rendering, ideal for simple map displays. Use for quick visualization without client-side rendering overhead.

List all available map visualization styles for occurrence tiles. Returns style names, descriptions, and types (density/point/poly). Use to discover visualization options before generating tile URLs with gbif_maps_get_tile_url.

Search scientific literature that cites GBIF data. Find peer-reviewed publications, reports, and papers that used GBIF-mediated data. Useful for understanding data impact, finding research examples, and tracking biodiversity research trends.

Get complete metadata for a scientific publication by its DOI. Returns title, authors, abstract, journal, citation info, and GBIF usage details. Use to get full details about a specific paper that used GBIF data.

List all controlled vocabularies used in GBIF. Vocabularies define valid values for fields like basisOfRecord, establishmentMeans, occurrenceStatus, etc. Essential for understanding valid filter values and data standardization.

Get a specific controlled vocabulary with all its concepts and definitions. Returns the complete vocabulary including all valid values, descriptions, and usage notes. Use to understand valid values for specific GBIF fields.

Get detailed information about a specific concept within a controlled vocabulary. Returns the concept definition, usage notes, related terms, and examples. Use to understand the precise meaning and usage of specific vocabulary terms.

Validate a Darwin Core Archive (DwC-A) file against GBIF standards. Checks data structure, required fields, data quality, and format compliance. Returns validation report with issues, warnings, and recommendations. Essential before publishing datasets to GBIF.

Check the status of an asynchronous Darwin Core Archive validation job. Validation is processed asynchronously, so use this tool to poll for completion and retrieve results. Returns validation status, progress, and results when complete.

Validate tabular data files (CSV, TSV) against Darwin Core standards before creating archives. Checks column headers, data types, required fields, and format compliance. Useful for data preparation workflows, pre-publication validation, and quality assurance before creating Darwin Core Archives. Returns validation report with field-level issues.