Breeding habitat: inaccessible mires, bogs, fens and small forest lakes — preferably with an open water surface surrounded by reeds or sedge.
Breeding season: April–July. The female lays 2 eggs (rarely 1 or 3) and both parents incubate for 28–31 days. The young are nest-leavers — they leave the nest after a day and follow the parents. They fledge after 65–70 days and stay with the parents throughout their first winter.