This species has a wide distribution throughout the Palearctic, but is absent from treeless areas of the Asian steppes and plains, as well as from the Siberian boreal zones (BirdLife International, 2024). In Europe it is also absent from the far north of Fennoscandia (Keller et al., 2020). In Spain it is a typically Eurosiberian species, also occupying the Mediterranean region but in a more discontinuous manner (Arce in SEO/BirdLife, 2022). It occurs in habitats with extensive forest cover and is absent from treeless areas of the major river valleys of the Ebro, Duero, and Guadalquivir, as well as from the arid southeastern zones. Altitudinally, it is present from sea level up to the upper forest limit in mountain ranges.

In the province of Madrid it occupies the western half, with some isolated populations in the southeastern sector; always at mid and high altitudes in the mountains, inhabiting the forest ecosystems of slopes and foothills (Díaz et al., 1994).

In the national park its main areas of occupancy are the pine forests of the Fuenfría Valley and La Barranca in the south; the forests north of La Morcuera and in El Hoyo de San Blas in the central area; and in the north, the densely forested slopes south of the Navafría pass. It is always found in forest stands located in depressions and slopes with sufficient cover, and is absent from the summits.