This species extends across much of the Western Palearctic (BirdLife International, 2024), being absent in Europe only in the northernmost areas of Fennoscandia (Keller et al., 2020). In Spain it is a species with Eurosiberian preference (Tellería et al., 1999), widely distributed throughout the northern half of the peninsula, but its distribution becomes more fragmented toward the south, where it appears more localized. It is absent from the arid areas of the southeastern peninsula and the large treeless expanses of the Guadalquivir valley, Extremadura, the Ebro valley, and both plateaus. It is also present in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands but absent from Melilla (Pérez-Tris and Remacha in SEO/BirdLife, 2022).

In Madrid it is widely distributed, occupying the entire northwestern half, while in the southeastern half it appears linked to river courses. It inhabits parks and urban gardens. It is mainly associated with forests such as ash groves, Pyrenean oak woods, or mountain pine forests, but also with riverine forests and juniper stands (Díaz et al., 1994).

In the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, it is especially abundant in areas with greater forest cover, whether Scots pine forests, Pyrenean oak woods, or mixed formations, including the Lozoya valley, the San Blas basin, La Barranca pine forests, the Navalmedio valley, and the pine forests around the Morcuera pass and El Purgatorio.