Typically only a few males mate. The female begins to make a nest at about the same time she begins to visit the dancing grounds or possibly even before. After successfully mating she leaves the dancing grounds and probably does not return.
Males also display at dancing grounds during autumn.
Eggs are laid at a rate of one per day and incubation begins when the last egg has been laid. The incubation period is 23 to 24 days. After the young hatch they are led away from the nest. Chicks are able to fly to a limited degree when they are 10 days old, and rapidly become independent. Females frequent heavier cover than do males during the breeding season, so heavy cover may be used by males to locate leks in heterogeneous habitats.