The Stretch Display involves the male pointing his bill straight up, stretching his neck, and then bending it backwards until the head almost touches its back with interscapular plumes erect and fanned. The male performs this Stretch Display before the female is allowed to enter the eventual nest area. Then the female performs a less intense Stretch silently after the male, which confirms the pair-bond. At this time, the male stops Flight and Snap displays. The pair then engages in mutual bill-snapping and feather nibbling, though those behaviors are reduced soon thereafter.
Copulation occurs on the nest platform during the nest-building stage.
It lasts about ten seconds with several hours between copulations. After the last egg is laid, copulations cease and incubation persists for 19-21 days. A normal clutch is 2 to 4 eggs, laid in 2-day intervals. Both adults feed and brood chicks, though at less frequent intervals as the chicks become more independent. Fledging occurs when chicks are 16 to 17 days old, and independence is gained between 30 and 35 days.