Match a scientific name against the GBIF backbone taxonomy. Returns the best-matching taxon with full classification and a confidence score (0–100). This is the mandatory first step for any GBIF workflow — it resolves synonyms and returns the backbone taxonKey required by gbif_search_occurrences, gbif_count_occurrences, and gbif_occurrence_facets. Below confidence 80, the match should be reviewed. matchType NONE means no usable match was found — try removing the strict flag or broadening the name.
Fetch a single backbone taxon by its GBIF taxon key. Returns full classification, authorship, taxonomic status, vernacular name, descendant count, and publication reference. Use after gbif_match_species when you need the complete record rather than the match summary. When taxonomicStatus is SYNONYM, acceptedKey and accepted fields identify the accepted taxon. The extinct field is absent (not false) on most records — only present on explicitly flagged taxa.
Search or browse the GBIF backbone taxonomy. Accepts scientific name fragments, rank filters, and higher-taxon constraints. Useful for exploring what species exist under a higher taxon (e.g., "list all families of Coleoptera"), for simple name-fragment searches, or when gbif_match_species returns too narrow a result. Paginated — use limit and offset to walk through results.
Return the complete parent chain for a taxon — from kingdom (or domain) down to the taxon itself — as an ordered array. Each entry has its rank, canonical name, and taxon key. The array is returned root-first (kingdom → phylum → class → … → parent of given taxon). Useful for building taxonomic trees or understanding placement without navigating the backbone level-by-level.
List direct children of a backbone taxon — genera within a family, species within a genus, subspecies within a species. Paginated. Use gbif_match_species to get the taxonKey first, then iterate with offset for large groups.
Search 2.4B+ GBIF occurrence records with Darwin Core filters. Use taxonKey from gbif_match_species for reliable results — it resolves synonyms automatically. Accepts country (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2), bounding box (decimalLatitude/decimalLongitude ranges), WKT polygon geometry, year range, month, basis of record, and coordinate filter. Pagination is capped at approximately offset+limit=100,000 — use gbif_occurrence_facets for aggregate counts across large result sets.
Count occurrences matching a taxon + location filter without fetching records. Use for quick totals ("how many Aves records in Sweden?") or before deciding whether to paginate a full search. Accepts taxonKey, country, isGeoreferenced, datasetKey, and year.
Fetch a single occurrence record by its GBIF occurrence key. Returns the complete Darwin Core record — all coordinates, administrative geography (GADM), dates, collections metadata, collector identifiers, media links, and quality issue flags. Use the occurrence key from gbif_search_occurrences results to fetch full detail.
Aggregate occurrence counts across a dimension (COUNTRY, STATE_PROVINCE, YEAR, BASIS_OF_RECORD, DATASET_KEY, KINGDOM_KEY, etc.). Returns the top-N facet values ranked by count — no record payloads returned. Core tool for distribution analysis and trend queries: "which countries have the most records for this species?", "how has observation volume changed since 2010?". Scope the aggregation with taxonKey, country, year, geometry, or basisOfRecord filters.
Search GBIF datasets by keyword, type, country, or publishing organization. Returns dataset title, description, license, record count, and DOI. Use to find the source dataset behind a set of records, or to explore what data collections are available for a taxon, country, or organization.
Fetch full dataset metadata by UUID key — title, description, citation text, contacts, license, DOI, numConstituents (sub-datasets), and temporal/geographic coverage. Use after gbif_search_datasets or when an occurrence record's datasetKey needs provenance detail.
Search organizations registered with GBIF by name fragment or country. Returns organization key, title, and country — sufficient to chain into gbif_search_datasets with hostingOrg, or to understand who publishes data for a region.