GBIF Biodiversity Data Scraper

GBIF Biodiversity Data Scraper

Scrape GBIF biodiversity data, species taxonomy and occurrence records, up to a million per run. Every record comes with scientific name, coordinates, basis of record, and dataset metadata. No API key required. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

GBIF's official API needs a registered account and rate limits you. This reads the public species and occurrence endpoints directly, filtered by scientific name, taxon key, country, year, or basis of record, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

Who uses it	What they scrape GBIF for
Ecologists	Mapping where a species has been observed over time
Conservation NGOs	Monitoring endangered species sightings across countries
Data journalists	Fact-checking biodiversity claims with primary records
Biotech researchers	Finding specimen locations for genetic sampling

What it does

This Actor collects GBIF species search results and occurrence records, and returns each one as a flat row.

• 🔎 Species Search: query the GBIF backbone taxonomy by scientific name and get taxonomic ranks, keys, and dataset metadata.
• 📍 Occurrence Search: fetch individual observations or specimens with coordinates, country, year, and basis of record filters.
• 🌍 Geographic filtering: restrict to records with verified latitude and longitude, or by ISO country code.
• 📅 Temporal filtering: limit occurrences to a specific observation year.
• 🧬 Basis of record: choose from preserved specimen, human observation, machine observation, fossil, living specimen, material sample, or any.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with GBIF data

📈 Track species distributions.

An ecologist runs the Actor with a scientific name and country code to build a time series of occurrence records for a range map.

🛡️ Monitor endangered species.

A conservation NGO sets hasCoordinate to true and filters by year to get recent verified sightings for a red list assessment.

📰 Verify biodiversity claims.

A data journalist pulls occurrence records for a species mentioned in a news story to check the underlying data.

🧪 Source genetic samples.

A biotech researcher filters by basisOfRecord PRESERVED_SPECIMEN to find museum specimens with coordinates for sampling.

Why choose this scraper

	What you get
No API key	Uses GBIF's public endpoints directly, no registration or OAuth
Up to 1M records	Set maxItems to collect large datasets in a single run
Flat schema	Every record returns the same fields, ready for analysis
Multiple exports	CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML for any downstream tool

How it compares

This Actor focuses on species and occurrence search with flexible filters, while competitors may offer dataset exploration or lower pricing.

Feature	ParseForge	GBIF Scraper	GBIF Species & Occurrence Scraper - Biodiversity Data	GBIF Species Scraper - Biodiversity Taxonomy Data
Species search	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Occurrence search	Yes	Yes	Yes	Not listed
Filter by country	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Filter by year	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Filter by basis of record	Yes	Not listed	Not listed	Not listed
Dataset exploration	Not listed	Yes	Not listed	Not listed

Configure the run

Drive the Actor from scientific names, taxon keys, country codes, years, and basis of record filters, and filters run as each record is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
  "maxItems": 10,
  "mode": "occurrences",
  "scientificName": "Panthera leo"
}

A larger pull:

{
  "maxItems": 200,
  "mode": "occurrences",
  "scientificName": "Panthera leo"
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.00999 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collected	Approximate cost
100 results	$1.00
1,000 results	$9.99
10,000 results	$99.90

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
2. Open the GBIF Biodiversity Data Scraper.
3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to GBIF through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/gbif-biodiversity-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check your filters. If you set hasCoordinate to true, many records without coordinates are excluded. Also verify the scientific name spelling or taxon key.

Why is the run slow?

GBIF's public API has rate limits. Reduce maxItems or narrow your filters to speed up the run.

Why are some fields empty?

GBIF records vary in completeness. Not every occurrence has a country, year, or basis of record. Use filters to target complete records.

Can I search for a common name instead of scientific name?

The Actor expects a scientific name. Use GBIF's website to find the scientific name for a common name, then run the Actor.

Why did I get fewer records than maxItems?

The Actor stops when it reaches maxItems or when there are no more matching records. If your filters are narrow, you may get fewer results.

FAQ

Question	Answer
Do I need a GBIF account or API key?	No. The Actor uses GBIF's public endpoints, so you can start scraping immediately without registration.
What is the difference between species and occurrences mode?	Species mode searches the taxonomic backbone and returns names, ranks, and keys. Occurrences mode returns individual observation or specimen records with coordinates and metadata.
Can I filter occurrences by country?	Yes, use the country input with an ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code like US, KE, or BR.
How do I get only records with coordinates?	Set hasCoordinate to true. This limits results to occurrences with verified latitude and longitude.
What is a taxon key?	A taxon key is GBIF's internal identifier for a species or higher taxon. You can find it by running a species search first.
Can I filter by observation year?	Yes, use the year input to restrict occurrences to a specific year.
What basis of record options are available?	You can choose from preserved specimen, human observation, machine observation, fossil, living specimen, material sample, observation, occurrence, or any.
How many records can I collect?	Set maxItems up to 1,000,000 per run. The Actor will stop after reaching that number.
What export formats are supported?	You can export results as CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.
Is the data returned in a consistent schema?	Yes, every record is flattened into the same fields, making it easy to combine multiple runs.

Related actors

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

🆘 Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

⚠️ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by GBIF Secretariat. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.