This is a species with a western Palearctic distribution, extending from the Atlantic to Central Asia (BirdLife International, 2024). It is also common in Europe during the breeding season and pre- and post-nuptial migration (Keller et al., 2020). In Spain, breeding populations occur in the supra- and oromediterranean belts (800–2,000 m altitude), mainly in the mountain ranges surrounding the northern plateau and northern Iberian Peninsula (Gordo in SEO/BirdLife, 2022). In the Balearic and Canary Islands, as well as in Ceuta and Melilla, it occurs only during migration.

In the Community of Madrid, breeding populations are found in the mountainous strip of the Central System, with some isolated populations in the central and southwestern areas. Records elsewhere may correspond to birds in passage, as this species undertakes very early migratory movements (Díaz et al., 1994; Gargallo et al., 2011).

Within the national park, most observations during the fieldwork for this atlas in the breeding season were obtained in mature Scots pine forests in the southwest, around the municipality of Cercedilla, along the forested slopes of the Sierra, and in the Fuenfría Valley near Puerto de Fuenfría. Additionally, it appears at only four isolated points in the Lozoya Valley.