This species is native to the European continent during the breeding season (BirdLife International, 2024). The European population is concentrated mainly in the central and western parts of the continent (Keller et al., 2020). In Spain, it is most common in the central-western Iberian Peninsula and on the southern slopes of the Pyrenees down to the Ebro Valley. It is scarce or absent in areas with an Atlantic climate and avoids high mountains and steep massifs as well as large plains, thus favouring foothills and mid-mountain zones for breeding (Viñuela et al., 1999; Molina, 2015; SEO/BirdLife, 2022). It breeds in Mallorca and Menorca but has disappeared from the Canary Islands; it is also absent from Ceuta and Melilla.

In the Community of Madrid, it occupies the entire mountainous belt and currently extends into the east and certain points in the south. It is restricted to forested areas at mid-elevations. It is a forest bird during the breeding season, therefore inhabiting extensive forest masses of conifers, deciduous trees, or mixed woodlands.

It is not an abundant species during the breeding season in the Sierra de Guadarrama National Park, and some of the observations recorded during fieldwork likely correspond to dispersing individuals, wanderers, or birds conducting exploratory flights over mountain passes and open areas. It has been detected more frequently around the passes of La Morcuera and Navacerrada, and well-established breeding territories have been known for years in the Lozoya Valley.