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GBIF Biodiversity

Global biodiversity data — species occurrences, taxonomy, and datasets from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

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status: healthy status status healthy healthy tools: 6 tools tools 6 6 type: api wrapper type type api wrapper api wrapper lifecycle: maintained lifecycle lifecycle maintained maintained Science

Data source: GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)

MCP Endpoint (Streamable HTTP) https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/gbif/
Authentication

All requests require a Gnist-API-Key header (or api_key query parameter).

Free tier: 100 calls/day. Get your API key.

Tools (6)

search_species

Search the GBIF taxonomy backbone for species, genera, families, or higher taxa.

Covers 2.4M+ species from the GBIF backbone taxonomy — the most comprehensive
global species catalogue. Returns scientific names, common names, taxonomic hierarchy,
and occurrence counts. Data aggregated from 2,100+ institutions worldwide.

Args:
query: Species name or keyword to search.
rank: Taxonomic rank filter.
habitat: Habitat filter.
limit: Number of results (1–50, default 20).

Returns:
List of matching taxa with scientific name, common name, classification, and
occurrence count. Use the key with get_species or search_occurrences for details.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
querystringrequiredSpecies name or keyword (e.g. "Panthera leo", "orchid", "Atlantic salmon", "pine").
rankanyoptionalTaxonomic rank filter: SPECIES, GENUS, FAMILY, ORDER, CLASS, PHYLUM, KINGDOM. Omit for all.
habitatanyoptionalHabitat filter: MARINE, FRESHWATER, TERRESTRIAL. Omit for all.
limitintegeroptionalNumber of results (1–50, default 20). (default: 20)
JSON-RPC Request
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_species",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "example"
    }
  }
}
get_species

Get full taxonomic details for a species by its GBIF taxon key.

Returns the complete classification hierarchy from kingdom to species,
plus status and occurrence count.

Args:
taxon_key: GBIF taxon key (numeric).

Returns:
Full taxonomic record. Returns found=false if key not found.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taxon_keystringrequiredGBIF taxon key (numeric). Found in search_species results.
JSON-RPC Request
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "get_species",
    "arguments": {
      "taxon_key": "example"
    }
  }
}
search_occurrences

Search 2.4B+ biodiversity occurrence records — species sightings, specimens, and observations.

Each record is a documented observation of a species at a specific place and time.
Sources include museum specimens, citizen science (eBird, iNaturalist), research surveys,
and automated monitoring. Covers all of life — animals, plants, fungi, bacteria.

Args:
taxon_key: GBIF taxon key. Use search_species to find it.
scientific_name: Scientific name as alternative to taxon_key.
country: ISO country code to filter by location.
year_range: Year or year range filter.
basis_of_record: Filter by observation type.
has_coordinate: Only records with GPS coordinates.
limit: Number of results (1–50, default 20).

Returns:
List of occurrence records with species, location, date, observer, and source dataset.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taxon_keyanyoptionalGBIF taxon key (numeric). Use search_species to find keys. Provide this or scientific_name.
scientific_nameanyoptionalScientific name (e.g. "Panthera leo"). Alternative to taxon_key.
countryanyoptionalISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code (e.g. 'NO' for Norway, 'US', 'GB').
year_rangeanyoptionalYear or year range (e.g. '2023' or '2020,2024' for a range).
basis_of_recordanyoptionalRecord type: HUMAN_OBSERVATION, PRESERVED_SPECIMEN, MACHINE_OBSERVATION, FOSSIL_SPECIMEN, LIVING_SPECIMEN.
has_coordinateanyoptionalFilter to records with GPS coordinates.
limitintegeroptionalNumber of results (1–50, default 20). (default: 20)
JSON-RPC Request
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_occurrences",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
search_datasets

Search 100K+ biodiversity datasets published through GBIF.

Datasets are collections of occurrence records or species checklists published by
institutions, museums, citizen science platforms, and research projects.

Args:
query: Search term for dataset titles and descriptions.
type_filter: Filter by dataset type.
publishing_country: Filter by country of the publishing organization.
limit: Number of results (1–50, default 20).

Returns:
List of datasets with title, description, type, publisher, and record count.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
querystringrequiredDataset search term (e.g. "birds Norway", "marine mammals", "eBird", "herbarium").
type_filteranyoptionalDataset type: OCCURRENCE, CHECKLIST, SAMPLING_EVENT, METADATA.
publishing_countryanyoptionalISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code of the publishing country.
limitintegeroptionalNumber of results (1–50, default 20). (default: 20)
JSON-RPC Request
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_datasets",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "example"
    }
  }
}
get_species_distribution

Get the global distribution of a species — occurrence counts by country.

Shows which countries a species has been observed in and how many records exist.
Useful for understanding species range, conservation status, and biodiversity hotspots.

Args:
taxon_key: GBIF taxon key (numeric).

Returns:
List of countries with occurrence counts, sorted by count (highest first).

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
taxon_keystringrequiredGBIF taxon key (numeric). Use search_species to find it.
JSON-RPC Request
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "get_species_distribution",
    "arguments": {
      "taxon_key": "example"
    }
  }
}
report_feedback

Report a bug, feature request, or general feedback for this data source.

Use this when something doesn't work as expected, when you'd like
a new feature, or when you have suggestions for improvement.

Args:
feedback: Describe the issue or suggestion.
feedback_type: One of 'bug', 'feature_request', or 'general'.

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
feedbackstringrequired
feedback_typestringoptional (default: "general")
JSON-RPC Request
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "report_feedback",
    "arguments": {
      "feedback": "example"
    }
  }
}

Quick Start

Shell 
curl -X POST "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/gbif/" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
  -H "Gnist-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "tools/call", "id": 1, "params": {"name": "search_species", "arguments": {"query": "example"}}}'
Python 
import httpx

resp = httpx.post(
    "https://context.gnist.ai/mcp/gbif/",
    headers={"Gnist-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY", "Content-Type": "application/json"},
    json={
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "id": 1,
  "params": {
    "name": "search_species",
    "arguments": {
      "query": "example"
    }
  }
},
)
print(resp.json())

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Resources

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