The common cuckoo is a species with a wide distribution in the Palearctic, typically Eurasian (Keller et al., 2022; BirdLife International, 2024). In Spain, it occurs throughout much of the Iberian Peninsula, Ceuta, and the Balearic Islands, but does not breed in Melilla or the Canary Islands (Gordo and Pastoriza in SEO/BirdLife, 2022). Given its ecological requirements, it is absent from treeless and agricultural areas of Castilla-La Mancha, the Guadalquivir Valley, or the Ebro Valley. It is also absent from southeastern Iberia and areas of Castilla y León (Fouces in Martí and Del Moral, 2003).

In Madrid, it occupies the entire mountain and foothill strip, as well as the southeastern tip of the community. It is absent from the metropolitan area and treeless southern zones. It preferentially occupies forested and shrub areas such as pine forests, broom scrublands, and oak groves in the mountains, and riparian groves in lowland areas (Díaz et al., 1994).

In the national park, it has been detected across much of its surface. It is a ubiquitous species that shows higher abundances in the pine and mixed forests of the Lozoya Valley, in oak stands and mixed forests in the El Purgatorio area, and around pine forests with clearings and edges at Morcuera pass.