The nests are on flat ground near a shade tree and mammal droppings that are the same color as the eggs. There are normally 3 eggs, sometimes 2 or 4. Incubation requires 28 to 32 days and is done by both sexes. Behavior Crowned plovers are gregarious, sometimes appearing in flocks of as many as 36 outside of the breeding season. Most often they occur in small groups that are casual aggregations.
Territorial behavior is almost nonexistent even during the breeding season.
When an alarm call is heard from another plover species, it responds by aerially swarming the intruder. But once the attack is over, the rescuing bird is often chased off by the bird that was in danger in the first place. Because crowned plovers live in open grassland where there is no vegetation to conceal them, they have a highly-developed ability to detect potential predators. Often nesting occurs in close vicinity to other plovers. As soon as hatching occurs the adults change from being quiet and restrained to being exceedingly noisy and aggressive at the approach of a human.