The species has two widely separated breeding populations. In its eastern range it occurs in the
Russian Federation, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, north-west China, northern
Iran and Turkey. Its western range covers mainly Spain and Portugal, with smaller populations in Italy, France and a virtually extinct population in Morocco (Palacín & Alonso 2009, BirdLife International 2017).

Eastern populations winter from Turkey and the Caucasus to Iran, and erratically elsewhere in south Asia. Azerbaijan holds the main wintering quarters, followed by northern Iran. Western populations winter in the Mediterranean zone, with the Iberian Peninsula holding the most important wintering figures (BirdLife International 2017).