Pairing is usually permanent. In courtship, male and female bow, bob and squirm close together, and sometimes roll over and over, playing at biting. Although the female appears to incubate alone, the male spends much time with her in the hollow, feeding her by regurgitation and roosting with her at night. The nest is usually a hollow limb or tree near water. The eggs are laid on wood dust at the bottom of the hollow. For several days after fledging, the young return to sleep in the nest. They fledge about eight weeks after hatching.