# Downloading associated/sub species using API
**URL:** https://discourse.gbif.org/t/downloading-associated-sub-species-using-api/6167
**Category:** Data Use
**Tags:** taxonomy, research-data
**Created:** [November 20, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://discourse.gbif.org/t/downloading-associated-sub-species-using-api/6167 "2025-11-20T15:58:32Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@bkron](https://discourse.gbif.org/u/bkron)
#### Post date: [November 20, 2025, 3:58pm UTC](https://discourse.gbif.org/t/downloading-associated-sub-species-using-api/6167/1 "2025-11-20T15:58:32Z")
Hi All,
I’m trying to pull a master download of 128 species (most of which I’ve downloaded separately previously), but the web tool won’t allow a link of that size, so I’m branching into using the API for the first time. When downloading them in small groups by species name, for example, Aegolius acadicus, records were also downloaded for Aegolius acadicus acadicus, the subspecies, which have different taxon keys. Now that I’m branching into the API, I wanted to confirm/seek help ensuring that those situations remain in my new download: i.e., I want those data from the synonym/associated/sub species in the download.
Can anyone confirm that if I use taxon key to conduct that download with the API, it will not also download the associated species, in this case, the subspecies data? I’d like to have all the available data and reconcile it afterwards, instead of filtering it out beforehand. And if this is the case, is there a way around this? I figure if using either species name or taxon key for the API download, I’d have to have the 100% complete list of all associated species names/keys that could be included in my 128, and I’m trying to avoid that if possible, by relying on the API to do the work collating what’s related, much as the website does.
Thanks in advance!
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### Author:  [@mgrosjean](https://discourse.gbif.org/u/mgrosjean)
#### Post date: [December 8, 2025, 2:36pm UTC](https://discourse.gbif.org/t/downloading-associated-sub-species-using-api/6167/2 "2025-12-08T14:36:40Z")
Hi @bkron
Sorry for the late reply. If you use the taxonKey in the occurrence download API ([API Downloads :: Technical Documentation](https://techdocs.gbif.org/en/data-use/api-downloads)), you will get all the child taxa in your download.
If you would rather not have the child taxa selected, the best would be to use the SQL download API (documented here: [API SQL Downloads :: Technical Documentation](https://techdocs.gbif.org/en/data-use/api-sql-downloads)) and query the relevant field.