Mountains of central China northern and west of Red Basin: southern Gansu south to central and NE
Sichuan (Min Shan and Pingwu south to Baoxing, also Daba Shan), east to S
Shaanxi (Taibai Shan/Qin Ling Shan) and western Hubei (Nwest of Yichang).
 
Population
Estimated population is unknown (2010).
Sooty Bushtit (Aegithalos fuliginosus) [XC265932]
by id from Foping Nature Reserve, Qinling Mountains, Shaanxi, China (call)
Sooty Bushtit (Aegithalos fuliginosus) [XC67533]
by Frank Lambert from Wolong, near the Wo Yu Ping research station, China (call)
Subspecies
No subspecies.
No obvious affinities to other members of genus, although approaches Black-headed Tit (Aegithalos bonvaloti) (especially of subspecies obscuratus) in some respects. Birds from Hsien Shan Hsien (in western Hubei) described as a geographical subspecies, scurrula, but differences from birds elsewhere in range considered insignificant.