As suggested by its name, in flight the wings are usually conspicuously blue, but they can occasionally be grayish or greenish.

[4] The gregarious and flightless nymphs are aposematically colored in black, red and yellow and are presumed to be toxic;[5] a researcher who tasted one noted, that it was very bitter, similar to a monarch butterfly.

[6] Tropidacris collaris is common in a wide range of habitats from rainforests to dry open areas like Caatinga and Cerrado.

It is widespread in South America east of the Andes, from Colombia and the Guianas to central Argentina, but generally avoiding highlands.

[9] A grasshopper of this species was spotted landing on the arm of James Rodríguez, after he scored a goal during Colombia's 1–2 loss to Brazil, at the quarter-finals of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.