A
APIs Score

iDigBio API

Science & Math / No Auth Required Beginner HTTPS
Free to Use
57 C
Metadata Score 0 50 100 Metadata estimate · not endpoint-tested
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Overview

iDigBio is a free API that gives you access to millions of digitized natural history museum specimens from institutions across the United States and beyond. You can search for specimens by species, location, date, or institution and retrieve detailed occurrence records. It is a great resource for biodiversity research and educational projects.

Beginner Tip

Use the records search endpoint with a simple scientific name filter to quickly retrieve specimen records. The API supports pagination so start with a small limit value to understand the data before fetching large datasets.

Available Data

The kind of data this API exposes, based on its documentation. We could not call the endpoint to confirm the exact field names.

iDigBio data via REST API

Example Response

Illustrative shape only — we were not able to call this endpoint (it requires credentials or exposes no public sample URL), so the fields below show the kind of data this API returns rather than a recorded response.

JSON Response · Illustrative 
{
  "status": "success",
  "data": {
    "result": "Data from iDigBio",
    "description": "Access millions of museum specimens from organizations around the world",
    "timestamp": "2025-01-15T10:00:00Z"
  }
}

Field Reference

itemCount Total number of records matching the search query.
items Array of specimen record objects matching the query.
uuid Unique iDigBio identifier for the specimen record.
data.dwc:scientificName Scientific name of the organism as provided by the institution.
data.dwc:locality Textual description of the collection location.
indexTerms.geopoint Latitude and longitude coordinates of the collection site.

Implementation Example

Calls a real endpoint of this API. Replace any placeholder credentials with your own key.

Request 
const url = "https://search.idigbio.org/v2/search/records/";
const response = await fetch(url);
if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Request failed: ${response.status}`);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

What Can You Build?

Note: These code examples are AI-generated and unverified. Always refer to the official API documentation for accurate usage.

Common Errors & Troubleshooting

Generated guidance based on this API's documentation, not observed by us. Treat it as a starting point and check against the provider's own error reference.

400 Bad Request The request JSON body is malformed or uses incorrect field names.
✓ Ensure the rq object uses valid iDigBio field names; consult the field list in the API wiki.
Empty itemCount in response No specimens match the search query criteria.
✓ Try broadening the search by using genus only or removing location filters.
Connection timeout The query is too broad and takes too long to process on the server.
✓ Add more specific filters such as country or date range to narrow down the result set.

Metadata Score Breakdown

Estimated from metadata — endpoint not independently tested

This score is estimated from observable metadata — HTTPS support, authentication model, declared CORS, and documentation reachability — because the API requires authentication or exposes no publicly testable endpoint. The five-signal breakdown is only shown for live-tested APIs.

Metadata estimate · endpoint not independently tested

How is this scored? →

Technical Specifications

Auth No Auth
HTTPS REQUIRED
CORS UNKNOWN
Category Science & Math
Difficulty Beginner
Listing details not endpoint-verified

Related Tags

#science-and-math

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