# Identification Identifiers API endpoint doesn't return results beyond page 1 if per\_page parameter is specified

**URL:** <https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/identification-identifiers-api-endpoint-doesnt-return-results-beyond-page-1-if-per-page-parameter-is-specified/18595>\
**Category:** Bug Reports\
**Tags:** api\
**Created:** [December 6, 2020, 11:54pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/identification-identifiers-api-endpoint-doesnt-return-results-beyond-page-1-if-per-page-parameter-is-specified/18595 "2020-12-06T23:54:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![pisum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@pisum](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/pisum)\
**Post date:** [December 6, 2020, 11:54pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/identification-identifiers-api-endpoint-doesnt-return-results-beyond-page-1-if-per-page-parameter-is-specified/18595/1 "2020-12-06T23:54:50Z")

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The [Get Identification Identifiers API endpoint](https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/docs/#!/Identifications/get_identifications_identifiers)  
(`https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers`) doesn’t return any results beyond page 1 if per\_page is also specified as a parameter in the request.

(expected) this returns results (when per\_page is not included):  
[https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers?current\_taxon=true&own\_observation=false&is\_change=false&current=true&taxon\_id=55401&page=2&order=desc&order\_by=created\_at](https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers?current_taxon=true&own_observation=false&is_change=false&current=true&taxon_id=55401&page=2&order=desc&order_by=created_at)

(unexpected) this returns no results (when per\_page=30 is included in parameters):  
[https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers?current\_taxon=true&own\_observation=false&is\_change=false&current=true&taxon\_id=55401&page=2&per\_page=30&order=desc&order\_by=created\_at](https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers?current_taxon=true&own_observation=false&is_change=false&current=true&taxon_id=55401&page=2&per_page=30&order=desc&order_by=created_at)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pisum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@pisum](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/pisum)\
**Post date:** [July 11, 2023, 11:58pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/identification-identifiers-api-endpoint-doesnt-return-results-beyond-page-1-if-per-page-parameter-is-specified/18595/2 "2023-07-11T23:58:00Z")

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looks like it’s possible to get only the top 10 identifiers from the first page these days.

neither of the links above now return any results (since they ask for results from page 2).

this reports 30 records returned per page (default, since no per\_page parameter specified), but it’s really returning only 10:  
[https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers?current\_taxon=true&own\_observation=false&is\_change=false&current=true&taxon\_id=55401&page=1&order=desc&order\_by=created\_at](https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers?current_taxon=true&own_observation=false&is_change=false&current=true&taxon_id=55401&page=1&order=desc&order_by=created_at)

this reports 100 records returned (which seems to be the max, since my per\_page=300), but it still returns only 10:  
[https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers?current\_taxon=true&own\_observation=false&is\_change=false&current=true&taxon\_id=55401&page=1&per\_page=300&order=desc&order\_by=created\_at](https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers?current_taxon=true&own_observation=false&is_change=false&current=true&taxon_id=55401&page=1&per_page=300&order=desc&order_by=created_at)

this reports 9 records returned, and returns 9 records, matching my input:  
[https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers?current\_taxon=true&own\_observation=false&is\_change=false&current=true&taxon\_id=55401&page=1&per\_page=9&order=desc&order\_by=created\_at](https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/identifications/identifiers?current_taxon=true&own_observation=false&is_change=false&current=true&taxon_id=55401&page=1&per_page=9&order=desc&order_by=created_at)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![paul\_luap](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/paul_luap/32/17343_2.png) [@paul\_luap](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/paul_luap)\
**Post date:** [January 3, 2025, 9:22am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/identification-identifiers-api-endpoint-doesnt-return-results-beyond-page-1-if-per-page-parameter-is-specified/18595/3 "2025-01-03T09:22:32Z")

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This still seems to be an issues, I wanted to have a look at all the identifiers from Luxembourg, but with the api (I also tested the v2 API) I only get a max of 500 results (this seems to be the maximum for per\_page). Anything beyond that (page=2) is not retrievable. Even when I specifically set per\_page=\<500: page=2 does not return anything.

APIv2:  
this works:

- [https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations/identifiers?place\_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&created\_d2=2024-05-10&order=asc&order\_by=created\_at](https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations/identifiers?place_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&created_d2=2024-05-10&order=asc&order_by=created_at)

this does not work:

- [https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations/identifiers?place\_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&page=2&created\_d2=2024-05-10&order=asc&order\_by=created\_at](https://api.inaturalist.org/v1/observations/identifiers?place_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&page=2&created_d2=2024-05-10&order=asc&order_by=created_at)

APIv2  
this works:

- [https://api.inaturalist.org/v2/observations/identifiers?place\_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&created\_d2=2024-05-10&page=1&order=asc&order\_by=created\_at&fields=count%2Cuser.id%2Cuser.login%2Cuser.name%2Cuser.observations\_count%2Cuser.species\_count](https://api.inaturalist.org/v2/observations/identifiers?place_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&created_d2=2024-05-10&page=1&order=asc&order_by=created_at&fields=count%2Cuser.id%2Cuser.login%2Cuser.name%2Cuser.observations_count%2Cuser.species_count)
- [https://api.inaturalist.org/v2/identifications/identifiers?place\_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&created\_d2=2024-05-10&page=1&order=asc&order\_by=created\_at&fields=count%2Cuser.id%2Cuser.login%2Cuser.name%2Cuser.observations\_count%2Cuser.species\_count](https://api.inaturalist.org/v2/identifications/identifiers?place_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&created_d2=2024-05-10&page=1&order=asc&order_by=created_at&fields=count%2Cuser.id%2Cuser.login%2Cuser.name%2Cuser.observations_count%2Cuser.species_count)

this does not work:

- [https://api.inaturalist.org/v2/observations/identifiers?place\_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&created\_d2=2024-05-10&page=2&order=asc&order\_by=created\_at&fields=count%2Cuser.id%2Cuser.login%2Cuser.name%2Cuser.observations\_count%2Cuser.species\_count](https://api.inaturalist.org/v2/observations/identifiers?place_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&created_d2=2024-05-10&page=2&order=asc&order_by=created_at&fields=count%2Cuser.id%2Cuser.login%2Cuser.name%2Cuser.observations_count%2Cuser.species_count)
- [https://api.inaturalist.org/v2/identifications/identifiers?place\_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&created\_d2=2024-05-10&page=2&order=asc&order\_by=created\_at&fields=count%2Cuser.id%2Cuser.login%2Cuser.name%2Cuser.observations\_count%2Cuser.species\_count](https://api.inaturalist.org/v2/identifications/identifiers?place_id=120582&d2=2024-05-10&created_d2=2024-05-10&page=2&order=asc&order_by=created_at&fields=count%2Cuser.id%2Cuser.login%2Cuser.name%2Cuser.observations_count%2Cuser.species_count)

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![pisum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@pisum](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/pisum)\
**Post date:** [January 4, 2025, 5:34am UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/identification-identifiers-api-endpoint-doesnt-return-results-beyond-page-1-if-per-page-parameter-is-specified/18595/4 "2025-01-04T05:34:10Z")

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> [@paul\_luap](#):
>
> This still seems to be an issues, I wanted to have a look at all the identifiers from Luxembourg, but with the api (I also tested the v2 API) I only get a max of 500 results

it looks like all the problems i previously reported have been resolved at this point.

the max 500 results limit for identifiers might actually be intentional, since there is a similar limit on the observers side, as previously noted:

- [https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/top-observers-of-all-time/18726/2](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/top-observers-of-all-time/18726/2)
- [https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/beyond-500-observers/23231/4](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/beyond-500-observers/23231/4)

on the identifiers side, the situation is actually a little better since the `total_results` field actually seems to report the actual count, even if you can’t see the results beyond 500 (whereas the `total_results` value tops out at 500 for observers).

if the 500 limit is intentional, then that’s fine in my mind. do you have a particular use case that requires getting more than the top 500 identifiers (or observers)?
