Then the male stretches his neck out and bobs his head and makes a snap-hiss vocalization. Twig shaking and showing off may occur between songs. This show motivates other males to show off and display also. The displaying is successful if the male attracts a female to his nest site. At the time of pair formation, their legs turn from red to pinkish color.
Copulation takes place near the nest, shortly after pairing.
The male begins the twig ceremony by presenting the female with twigs, which she works into a platform nest. The nests usually rest on a fork of a branch, in the trunk of a tree, in deep foliage, or in low bushes, and reed beds. The Herons make a flimsy, haphazard, stick platform nests or they just rebuilt an old nest. The nest is lined with grass and roots. After four or five days a clutch of three to five eggs are laid.