This petite, brightly coloured bird possesses dark blue or green wings, tail and head. The head is striped, and the bill is very solid. The female’s colouring is not quite as bright as the male’s.

The collared kingfisher is a medium-sized kingfisher, measuring 22 to 29 cm in length (including the tail) and weighing about 51 to 90 grams.

The plumage varies from blue to green above while the underparts can be white or buff. There is a white collar around the neck, giving the birds its name. The large bill is black with a pale yellow base to the lower mandible (bill).

Their bodies are unusually configured. All kingfishers are known for their stocky bodies, large heads and long, thick, sharply pointed bills, shaped like a dagger. In those species which dive for fish, the bill is generally longer and more compressed; in those which hunt for prey on land, it is shorter and broader. The bill seems disproportionate to the rest of the body, but it is designed for impaling and capturing its prey. Their legs are short and their tails broad and stout. Their strong feet support them while perching on branches.

Females tend to be greener than the males.

Immature birds are duller than the adults with dark scaly markings on the neck and breast.