The common long-tailed tit is widely distributed across the Palearctic, from Western Europe to Japan along temperate zones of the Asian continent. This species avoids the cold and boreal areas of northern Europe and Asia (Keller et al., 2020; BirdLife International, 2024). In Spain, it has a broad distribution, though with large gaps in the valleys of the Duero and Ebro rivers, in both mesetas, and in the arid southeast. It is present in the Balearic Islands but not in the Canary Islands, Ceuta, or Melilla (Casaux in SEO/BirdLife, 2022).

In Madrid, it is fairly evenly distributed, although less common in the southeastern quadrant. It is absent from agricultural areas in the south but can appear in urban parks in the capital and other municipalities. Its distribution closely follows forested areas of the Community, inhabiting all types of forests, preferring holm oak, ash, oak forests, and riparian woods, and being less common in pine forests (Díaz et al., 1994).

Within the national park, it also has a broad distribution, with the highest abundances in the southern area, the La Barranca valley, the Sierra de los Porrones, and the eastern part of La Pedriza. It is much scarcer in the Lozoya river valley.