Territorial males perform aerial displays to attract a mate, flying to a height of 15 to 30 feet, holding their wings up over the back in a deep V, then floating back to the ground in what is called the falling leaf display. Both sexes perform the falling leaf display, but females perform it only after mating. Females frequently return to the same area each year, but visit the territories of several males before selecting a mate. During courtship, several nest scrapes are made before one is eventually chosen for a nest. The nest consists of a shallow depression in the ground lined with a small amount of materials found nearby.
Nests are often next to conspicuous objects such as cow chips.
Mountain plovers usually lay three well-camouflaged eggs that are dark olive with black markings. Only one adult attends the nest, rotating the eggs and shading them on hot days during the 29-day incubation. Some evidence suggests that a female produces one clutch of eggs for her mate to attend and then produces a second clutch about two weeks later which she attends. Chicks do not have the same markings as adults. They are whitish below and pale brown above with numerous black spots on the upper head, back and wings.