Hotspots API
Find data gaps in eBird coverage to prioritize volunteer survey locations.
Base URL:
https://birdlife.tech/hotspots/api/v1 Find Gaps by Region
Identify grid cells with no eBird hotspot coverage in a region.
GET /hotspots/api/v1/gaps/region/{regionCode}?limit={limit}&format={format} Try it
Find Gaps by Coordinates
Find coverage gaps within a radius of a location.
GET /hotspots/api/v1/gaps/nearby?lat={lat}&lng={lng}&radius_km={radius}&limit={limit} Try it
Gap Types
spatial No eBird hotspots in this grid cell
temporal Hotspots exist but data is stale (coming soon)
effort Low checklist count relative to area (coming soon)
Priority Score
Each gap is scored 0-1 based on multiple factors:
- Distance factor — Closer to existing hotspots = higher priority (more accessible)
- Isolation factor — More isolated gaps get slight bonus
- Biodiversity factor — Regions with more species get higher priority
- Data staleness — Areas with older data get priority (coming soon)
Output Formats
- JSON — Standard
{data, meta}envelope for programmatic use - GeoJSON — FeatureCollection for mapping tools (Leaflet, QGIS)
- CSV — Flattened columns for spreadsheet tools
Rate Limiting
- 60 requests per minute per IP
- Response headers:
X-RateLimit-Limit,X-RateLimit-Remaining,X-RateLimit-Reset - Exceeded:
429 Too Many RequestswithRetry-Afterheader
Data Sources
This API analyzes hotspot data from eBird to identify coverage gaps. Powered by birdlife-hotspot-finder.