GBIF API

Free GBIF API with no key: 2 billion+ species occurrence records, taxonomic data and distribution maps from museums and research institutions worldwide. Tested.

No API key requiredHTTPSFree tier

Endpoint tested and returned HTTP 200 on 19 Aug 2026

What is the GBIF API?

The GBIF API is a free, key-free interface to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility — over two billion species occurrence records, full taxonomic hierarchies and distribution data contributed by museums and research institutions worldwide.

GBIF is the largest open biodiversity dataset in existence, aggregating specimen records from natural history collections, research surveys and citizen science across the world. Reading it needs no key at all.

The taxonomic backbone is the part most projects need: every record is resolved to a normalised taxonomy with kingdom through species, plus a stable `key`. That lets you reconcile species names across datasets that spell them differently or use outdated synonyms.

Quick facts

Base URL: https://api.gbif.org/v1
Authentication: No API key required for reads. Publishing data requires an account.
Rate limit: No published hard limit; bulk users should use the download API rather than paging the search endpoints.
Pricing: Free open data; individual records carry their own licences.
CORS: Not enabled — call it from your server
Official docs: Read the docs

How to use the GBIF API

Every request below was executed against the live API on 19 Aug 2026, and the response shown is the real body it returned — not an illustration.

1. Search the species taxonomy

GET https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/search?q=puma&limit=1

curl

curl 'https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/search?q=puma&limit=1'

JavaScript (fetch)

const res = await fetch("https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/search?q=puma&limit=1");
if (!res.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${res.status}`);
const data = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Python (requests)

import requests

res = requests.get("https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/search?q=puma&limit=1", timeout=20)
res.raise_for_status()
print(res.json())

Response — HTTP 200

{
  "offset": 0,
  "limit": 1,
  "endOfRecords": false,
  "count": 1051,
  "results": [
    {
      "key": 326260942,
      "datasetKey": "0ecf5aeb-0c50-4063-a9ab-48eba3d21f4b",
      "nubKey": 2435098,
      "parentKey": 326260933,
      "parent": "Felidae",
      "kingdom": "Animalia",
      "phylum": "Chordata",
      "order": "Carnivora",
      "family": "Felidae",
      "genus": "Puma",
      "kingdomKey": 326260404,
      "phylumKey": 326260446,
      "classKey": 326260931,
      "orderKey": 326260932,
      "familyKey": 326260933,
      "genusKey": 326260942,
      "scientificName": "Puma",
      "canonicalName": "Puma",
      "taxonomicStatus": "ACCEPTED",
      "rank": "GENUS",
      "origin": "DENORMED_CLASSIFICATION",
      "numDescendants": 0,
      "numOccurrences": 0,
      "habitats": [],
      "nomenclaturalStatus": [],
      "threatStatuses": [],
      "descriptions": [],
      "vernacularNames": [],
      "synonym": false,
      "higherClassificationMap": {
        "326260404": "Animalia",
        "326260446": "Chordata",
        "326260931": "Mammalia",
        "326260932": "Carnivora",
        "326260933": "Felidae"
      },
      "class": "Mammalia"
    }
  ],
  "facets": []
}

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`q`	string	Optional	Free-text search query. `puma`
`limit`	integer	Optional	Results per page, max 1000. `20`
`offset`	integer	Optional	Pagination offset. `20`
`rank`	string	Optional	Taxonomic rank filter. `SPECIES`
`highertaxonKey`	integer	Optional	Restrict to descendants of a taxon. `212`

Response fields

countinteger: Total records matching the query.
endOfRecordsboolean: Whether more pages exist.
results[].keyinteger: Stable GBIF taxon identifier.
results[].scientificNamestring: Full scientific name with authorship.
results[].kingdom / phylum / class / order / family / genusstring: Normalised taxonomic hierarchy.
results[].taxonomicStatusstring: ACCEPTED, SYNONYM or DOUBTFUL.

What you can build with the GBIF API

Build a species lookup or field guide application
Reconcile species names across datasets using the GBIF backbone
Map species occurrence records for ecological research
Support conservation and biodiversity analysis

Common errors and how to fix them

Empty results

The query matched nothing.

Fix: Scientific names work better than common names; the species/match endpoint does fuzzy name resolution.

taxonomicStatus: SYNONYM

The name is an outdated synonym, not the accepted name.

Fix: Follow `acceptedKey` to the currently accepted taxon before displaying.

Very large occurrence queries time out

Occurrence search spans billions of records.

Fix: Use the asynchronous download API for anything beyond a few thousand records.

GBIF API — frequently asked questions

Is the GBIF API free?

Yes, completely free with no API key for reads. It is a publicly funded international biodiversity infrastructure.

How much data does GBIF hold?

Over two billion species occurrence records contributed by museums, herbaria, research surveys and citizen science projects worldwide.

What is the GBIF taxonomic backbone?

A normalised taxonomy that every record is matched against, so datasets using different or outdated names resolve to the same stable taxon key. It is the main reason to use GBIF for name reconciliation.

Why does my species show as a SYNONYM?

The name you searched is an outdated or alternative name. Follow the `acceptedKey` field to the currently accepted taxon.

Tools that pair with this API

JSON Formatter

Format, beautify and minify JSON online with 2-space, 4-space or tab indentation. Sort keys alphabetically and catch syntax errors instantly — free and private.

CSV to JSON Converter

Convert CSV to a JSON array of objects online. Header-row detection, comma/semicolon/tab delimiters and pretty-printed output — 100% in your browser.

Alternatives to GBIF API

If GBIF does not fit, these environment apis cover similar ground. Every one was called before publishing, and each links to its own reference page with a working curl command and the response it returned.

API	What it does	Auth	CORS	Last verified
UK Carbon Intensity	Free National Grid carbon intensity API with no key: current and forecast grid carbon per half hour, by region, with generation mix. Tested curl example.	No key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
iNaturalist	Free iNaturalist API with no key: millions of citizen-science species observations with photos, coordinates, identifications and quality grades. Tested example.	No key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
USGS Water Services	Free USGS Water Services API with no key: real-time river discharge, gauge height, water temperature and groundwater levels from thousands of US sites. Tested.	No key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
EPA Envirofacts	Free US EPA Envirofacts API with no key: toxic release inventory, facility permits, air and water compliance data across US environmental programmes. Tested.	No key	Yes	19 Aug 2026
Global Warming API	Free climate data API with no key: global temperature anomalies from 1880 to now, plus CO2, methane, nitrous oxide and polar ice extent series. Tested example included.	No key	Yes	21 Aug 2026
GrünstromIndex (Corrently)	Free German renewable energy forecast API with no key: hourly green-power share, wind and solar split, CO2 intensity and grid price by postcode. Tested example included.	No key	Yes	21 Aug 2026

All Environment APIs

GBIF is an independent third-party service and is not affiliated with ByteTools or ByteVancer. Details on this page were verified on 19 Aug 2026; always check the official documentation before relying on this API in production, as terms and limits can change.