Courtship consists of repeated bowing and bill-raising from both partners, who stand opposite each other and perform this display in a mirror action. Many displays at the nest resemble those of other Mycteria species. The male at the nest advertises to the arriving female using display preening, whereupon the female responds with a balancing posture and gaping. An up-down greeting display from both partners follows the arrival of one partner at the nest, and the male adopts a flying-around display upon female arrival. Both partners at the nest retract the skin of their head to expose two or three times as much bare skin as between displays when the skin hangs loosely.