Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@mcp-gbif find occurrences of the monarch butterfly in North America"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
GBIF MCP — wraps the Global Biodiversity Information Facility API v1 (free, no auth)
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1476+ live data sources.
Tool | Description |
| Search for species by common or scientific name. Returns matched taxa with rank, classification status, and taxonomic hierarchy. Use get_species with the taxon key for full details. |
| Get complete taxonomic classification for a species (kingdom through subspecies). Requires taxon key from search_species. Returns all ranks and accepted name status. |
| Get georeferenced observation records for a species with coordinates, dates, and sources. Pass either |
| Find species occurrence records NEAR a location (latitude/longitude + radius). PREFER for "what species/wildlife are found near here", "what birds/plants occur around these coordinates", "is recorded near this spot". Optionally filter by a GBIF taxon key (from search_species) to a group or species — e.g. 212 = birds, 6 = plants, 359 = mammals. Returns georeferenced records with species name, date, locality, and source. |
Related MCP server: eBird MCP Server
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"gbif": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/gbif/mcp"
}
}
}tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/gbif/mcp returns the tools in the table
above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx,
discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the
gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a
single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the
pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and
is the authoritative answer for a given day.
This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a
scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via
ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a
second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without
them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth,
connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.
Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:
{
"mcpServers": {
"pipeworx": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
}
}
}Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1476+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx
reaches all of them from either one.
Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Gbif data" })The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
MIT
This server cannot be deployed
Search GBIF species taxonomy, occurrence records, datasets, and publishers.
Search GBIF species taxonomy, occurrence records, datasets, and publishers.
Search and fetch Wikidata entities, execute SPARQL queries, and resolve external identifiers.
Gateway between LLM agents and world data through eight tools and a bundled endpoint catalog.
