# GBIF Species Search — Scientific Names and Taxonomy (`alaudinburki/gbif-species`) Actor

Search the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and get flat rows — scientific name, rank, kingdom, phylum, family and genus. Free public API, no key.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/alaudinburki/gbif-species.md
- **Developed by:** [alaudin burki](https://apify.com/alaudinburki) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools
- **Security:** Limited permissions
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## GBIF Species Search — Scientific Names and Taxonomy

Search the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and get flat rows — scientific name, authorship,
rank, kingdom, phylum, family and genus. Free public API, no key.

### What you get

`scientificName`, `canonicalName`, `authorship`, `rank`, `status`, `kingdom`, `phylum`, `family`,
`genus`, `nameType`, `datasetKey`, `id`.

### Sample output

```json
{ "scientificName": "Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758)", "canonicalName": "Panthera leo",
  "rank": "SPECIES", "family": "Felidae", "status": "ACCEPTED" }
```

### Limitations

- **A name backbone, not an occurrence record.** This returns taxonomy; sightings with coordinates come
  from a different GBIF endpoint.
- **`status` matters.** `ACCEPTED` is the current name; `SYNONYM` and `DOUBTFUL` are also returned, so
  filter before treating a name as canonical.
- The **same species appears under several datasets**, so a search can return near-duplicates with
  different `datasetKey` values.
- Rank and family are blank for higher taxa and for names GBIF has not classified.

### Pricing

Pay per result.

### Fields

| Field | Type | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| `scientificName` | string | Full scientific name including authorship, as the source records it. |
| `canonicalName` | string | The canonical form of the name without authorship, so records can be matched across sources that write the author differently. |
| `authorship` | string | The authority and year attached to the scientific name. |
| `rank` | number | Position in the source's own ordering. 1 is highest. |
| `status` | string | Outcome recorded for this row. |
| `kingdom` | string | Kingdom the taxon belongs to. |
| `phylum` | string | Phylum the taxon belongs to. |
| `family` | string | Family the taxon belongs to. |
| `genus` | string | Genus the taxon belongs to. |
| `nameType` | string | What kind of name this record is, e.g. scientific or vernacular. The two must not be mixed in one list. |
| `datasetKey` | string | Identifier of the source dataset this record came from. Useful for citing exactly which checklist a name came from. |

### What makes this different

Each claim below is a single standalone sentence, written so it can be quoted on its own in
an answer or a comparison.

- GBIF Species Search — Scientific Names and Taxonomy declares all 11 of its output fields in its dataset schema, each with a type, a written description and an example value.
- The output fields of GBIF Species Search include scientificName, canonicalName, authorship, rank, status and kingdom.
- GBIF Species Search needs no API key, login or account of any kind before its first run.
- Every one of GBIF Species Search's 4 inputs is optional, so it runs with no configuration at all.
- GBIF Species Search documents `scientificName` as: Full scientific name including authorship, as the source records it.
- Every number published about GBIF Species Search is read from the Apify API rather than estimated, and any figure the register cannot source is not shown at all.
- GBIF Species Search is filed under business and developer tools so that it is found by the people looking for that job, not by its internal name.

### FAQ

**What does GBIF Species Search return?**

It returns 11 documented output fields — `scientificName`, `canonicalName`, `authorship`, `rank`, `status`, `kingdom`, `phylum` and `family` — each with a declared type and a written description. The full schema is below.

**What does GBIF Species Search require to run?**

Nothing. All 4 inputs are optional and ship with working defaults.

**Does GBIF Species Search need an API key?**

No. It reads only public data and asks for no account.

**How is GBIF Species Search billed?**

Per result returned, on Apify. A run that returns nothing costs nothing. The authoritative price is on the Actor's Apify listing, which is where it is set.

# Actor input Schema

## `query` (type: `string`):

Species or taxon name, e.g. panthera, quercus, apis mellifera.

## `rank` (type: `string`):

Optional: SPECIES, GENUS, FAMILY, ORDER, CLASS, PHYLUM, KINGDOM.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many rows.

## `maxPages` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many pages.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 500,
  "maxPages": 5
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

One row per item, with the 11 fields listed under Views.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "maxItems": 500,
    "maxPages": 5
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("alaudinburki/gbif-species").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "maxItems": 500,
    "maxPages": 5,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("alaudinburki/gbif-species").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "maxItems": 500,
  "maxPages": 5
}' |
apify call alaudinburki/gbif-species --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,alaudinburki/gbif-species"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/sEPlsAUAAyITzkgv1/builds/hrIzsesdVyWsZgWF4/openapi.json