Birds are most likely to be found in gardens near their preferred habitat, or similar to their preferred habitat. For example, Satin Bowerbirds frequent gardens in Chapman, Duffy and Holder. These suburbs are closest to the wet forests of the Cotter catchment and Tidbinbilla range, where Satin Bowerbirds are common. They are one of the few wet forest residents that have adapted to the suburbs (some gardens even boast having a frequently used bower). Another wet forest resident, the Rufous Fantail, is seen occasionally in gardens near Canberra Nature Park, in Ainslie, Aranda, Cook and Weetangera. The birds move through these gardens on their annual north-south migration route. The Grey Fantail, a resident of open forest and woodland, is still found most often on the edges of suburbs, but is more widely distributed, with more frequent sightings in Campbell, Chapman, Holt and Page.

Bird diversity is generally greater near Canberra Nature Park or urban parks. Newly developing suburbs without established gardens and surrounded by building sites and disturbed grassland tend to have fewer species and lower bird numbers. However, more open country species such as Nankeen Kestrel and Richard's Pipit could be seen there.

Some birds adapt well to urban and suburban environments, and to human activity. These are the common birds of our gardens and parks, such as Magpies and Magpie-larks. Good examples for Canberra are the Galah (which was not sighted in Canberra before 1920), the Crested Pigeon (only recently arrived but spreading quickly) and the Common Myna (which was deliberately introduced by one person in the 1968 and is now spreading quickly).