Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata Recording AV#18987. Basis for Listing. It was formerly considered to belong to the same species as the Common Moorhen, widespread in the Old World. These duck-shaped birds have bright red on the forehead and beak and a yellow beak tip to set them off from similar-looking American Coot which has a white beak. Puerto Rico: Humacao (18.118, -65.785) recorded by Pamela C. Rasmussen It lives around well-vegetated marshes, ponds, canals, and other wetlands in the Americas. Guatemala: Solola, San Juan de la Laguna (14.79, -91.26) recorded by Pamela C. Rasmussen The common gallinule (Gallinula galeata) is a bird in the family Rallidae.It was split from the common moorhen by the American Ornithologists' Union in July 2011. Gallinula galeata (G. chloropus) This photograph, copyrighted by Robert Shantz, was taken at Patagonia Lake State Park, Santa Cruz County, Arizona on March 5, 2007. Gallinula galeata . Gallinula chloropus. Adaptable and successful, this bird is common in the marshes of North and South America. Common Gallinule, Gallinula galeata cerceris Recording AV#14415. The common gallinule is distributed nearly worldwide, occurring in North, Central, and South America, Europe, Asia, Australasia, Africa, and the Hawaiian Islands.