The Capercaillie is a lekking bird. At traditional display grounds, often in old pine forest or at the edges of mires, the cocks gather during March–May in the dawn hours to display and fight territorial battles. The hens visit the lek and mate with the dominant cocks. The nest is a simple scrape on the ground, often by a tree trunk, where the hen lays 6–10 yellow-brown, spotted eggs. She incubates alone for about 24–26 days, and the chicks are nest-leavers that follow the hen and find food for themselves.