This species is an Iberian endemic with a distribution restricted to the Iberian Peninsula, although it extends slightly into southern France with a population on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees (Pons et al., 2011; Olioso et al. in Keller et al., 2020; BirdLife International, 2024). In Spain it has a broad distribution (García-Villanueva and Serrano in Molina et al., 2022), but it is scarce in parts of Extremadura, areas of the lower Guadalquivir, and some regions of the Ebro valley and Mediterranean coastal areas. It is absent from the Canary Islands, Balearic Islands, Ceuta and Melilla.

In the Community of Madrid, it occupies all types of wooded environments, selecting holm oak woodlands, ash groves and riverine forests, although it also inhabits pine forests and scrublands with scattered trees. It is absent from deforested areas and is present in urban environments when parks contain tree cover (Díaz et al., 1994).

Within the national park, many observations come from the Fuenfría valley area, but also from the base of La Pedriza, near the town of Rascafría and the Navafría pass, coinciding with areas of mixed forests or forests displaying some structural heterogeneity beyond pure Scots pine stands.