The Common Gallinule is a bird in the Rallidae family which has been split in July 2011 from the Common Moorhen by the American Ornithologists' Union.
The most obvious physical difference between the two forms is the shape of the birds’ red forehead frontal shield.
The Old World species Common Moorhen show an elliptical, rounded frontal shield while the New World species Common Gallinule show a wedge-shaped frontal shield, wide and flat at the top, tapering toward the base.

Playa Larga area, Cuba, 9 January 2016