GBIF Species Search: Taxonomy, Threat Status & Sightings

Search the GBIF taxonomic backbone for animals, plants, fungi and more by name. Returns scientific and common names, rank, taxonomic status, full classification (kingdom to genus), IUCN threat status, habitats and number of recorded occurrences. Free open data.

What does GBIF Species Search do?

Search GBIF's global species backbone: scientific and common names, ranks, taxonomy and occurrence counts.

What can you use it for?

• Standardise species names in biodiversity or pet/plant databases.
• Find the full classification of an organism.
• Look up threat status and habitats for education content.
• Build species catalogues for apps and research.

Why use this Actor?

• Fast and cheap: lightweight HTTP-based Actor with no browser, so runs finish in seconds and cost very little.
• No API keys or accounts needed for the data source (see notes below).
• Clean, structured JSON that you can export as CSV, Excel, JSON or XML, or pull through the Apify API and integrations.
• Scheduling, webhooks and integrations: run it daily and send results to Google Sheets, Slack, Zapier, Make, n8n or your own API.

Input

Configure the run in the Input tab (all fields have sensible defaults).

Field	Type	Required	Default	Description
query	string	yes	-	Scientific or common name, e.g. puma, Quercus robur, giant panda.
rank	string (KINGDOM / PHYLUM / CLASS / ORDER / FAMILY / GENUS / SPECIES / SUBSPECIES)	no	-	Only results of this rank.
onlyAccepted	boolean	no	true	Hide synonyms and doubtful names.
maxResults	integer	no	30	Maximum number of taxa.

Example input

{
  "query": "puma",
  "maxResults": 30
}

Output

Results are stored in the default dataset. Download them from the Output tab or via the API.

Example result

{
  "key": 2435099,
  "scientificName": "Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771)",
  "canonicalName": "Puma concolor",
  "commonName": "Red Tiger",
  "rank": "SPECIES",
  "taxonomicStatus": "ACCEPTED",
  "kingdom": "Animalia",
  "phylum": "Chordata",
  "class": "Mammalia",
  "order": "Carnivora",
  "family": "Felidae",
  "genus": "Puma",
  "species": "Puma concolor",
  "authorship": "(Linnaeus, 1771) ",
  "numOccurrences": 0,
  "numDescendants": 7,
  "threatStatuses": "LEAST_CONCERN, NEAR_THREATENED, LEAST_CONCERN, NEAR_THREATENED, LEAST_CONCERN, NEAR_THREATENED, NEAR_THREATENED, LEAST_CONCERN, NEAR_THREATENED, LEAST_CONCER...",
  "habitats": "TERRESTRIAL",
  "url": "https://www.gbif.org/species/2435099",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-09-25T07:25:42.100Z"
}

Output fields

Field	Type	Example
key	number	2435099
scientificName	string	"Puma concolor (Linnaeus, 1771)"
canonicalName	string	"Puma concolor"
commonName	string	"Red Tiger"
rank	string	"SPECIES"
taxonomicStatus	string	"ACCEPTED"
kingdom	string	"Animalia"
phylum	string	"Chordata"
class	string	"Mammalia"
order	string	"Carnivora"
family	string	"Felidae"
genus	string	"Puma"
species	string	"Puma concolor"
authorship	string	"(Linnaeus, 1771) "
numOccurrences	number	0
numDescendants	number	7
threatStatuses	string	"LEAST_CONCERN, NEAR_THREATENED, LEAST_CONCERN, NEAR_THRE...
habitats	string	"TERRESTRIAL"
url	string	"https://www.gbif.org/species/2435099"
scrapedAt	string	"2026-09-25T07:25:42.100Z"

How much does it cost?

The Actor is billed by Apify according to the pricing shown on the Pricing tab of this page. Runs are small and fast, and the Apify Free plan includes monthly platform credits so you can try it at no cost. You can set a maximum cost per run, and the Actor stops cleanly when that limit is reached.

Notes and limitations

• Source: GBIF Species API (backbone taxonomy). Data is open (CC0/CC BY depending on dataset).
• 'Only accepted names' hides synonyms; turn it off to include them.

Tips

• Start with a small test run, then scale up the input.
• Use Schedules to automate recurring runs and Webhooks or Integrations to deliver the data where you need it.
• Call the Actor from your code with the Apify API or the official JavaScript and Python clients.

FAQ

Can I search common names?

Yes, common names are matched too; the scientific name is always returned.

Feedback

Found a bug or need an extra field? Open an issue from the Issues tab of this Actor and it will be looked at quickly.

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