For juveniles, this is the time to snag a mate of one's own, or at least to practice courting. Aside from occasional squabbles, the islands are filled with a cacophony of vocalizations that accompany the ritualistic courting dances. The noise begins just before dawn and continues into the night. New human arrivals, unaccustomed to the volume level, complain of being kept awake by juvenile revelers until the wee hours. In addition to using calls, the birds communicate with their bills.
Sharp clacks are warnings as humans approach a nest.
During a courtship dance, birds issue pleasing rapid-fire claps between vocalizations. Sometimes soft claps comfort a mate or chick. By early February, wobbly chicks stand in their nests blinking at the world with ebony button eyes. They hiss and clap their bills at human passersby. Juveniles intent on finding mates take every opportunity to dance, changing dance partners dozens of times a day.