The quail is a species typical of the Mediterranean and temperate areas of the western and central Palearctic (BirdLife International, 2024). In Europe, it occurs throughout the continent (Keller et al., 2020). It breeds in most of Spain, appearing across several bioclimatic zones (Rodríguez-Teijeiro and Puigcerver in SEO/BirdLife, 2022). It is absent from the southeastern peninsula and forested areas of Sierra Morena and the interior peninsula. It also occurs in the Balearic and Canary Islands.

In Madrid, it is distributed continuously throughout the Community, from the Tagus valley to the Guadarrama heights, but always linked to medium- and low-altitude crops and mountain grasslands (Díaz et al., 1994).

In the national park, it is not abundant but is recorded in much of the open and high-altitude areas of the protected space. It has been detected from Navacerrada pass and the Alto de las Guarramillas, along the Cuerda Larga to Morcuera pass. It is also abundant in the Llanos de Peñalara and further north, along passes and saddles such as El Reventón pass, El Cancho, Malagosto pass, and Navafría pass.