The birds grow to thirty to thirty-six inches long overall. The wings are short and rounded, and the wingspread is about thirty-two inches.
Males average nearly three pounds, females about two pounds.
Males are very colorful, with iridescent green-blue or purple heads and necks. Long, iridescent feathers along the sides of the head form an erectile double crest. Bright patches of bare red skin on the cheeks form red wattles below the eyes. A white collar around the neck gives the species its name. The upper parts of males' bodies are rich bronze and brownish red, with black, brown, and white markings.