diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 12f7a86a..27e42a4d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@
 - Numpydoc: Keep indented text before a section's first item in the long description instead of dropping it
 - Numpydoc: Split a `Raises` or `Warns` item's head such as `ValueError : if bad.` after its type, taking `if bad.` as the start of the description, instead of making the whole line the type
 - Numpydoc: Compose sections and deprecations in the items' order, keeping the blank lines read
+- Numpydoc: Accept a title's underline of any length, or of `=` signs
 - Epydoc: Match fields only at their header, so field-like text in a description no longer replaces it and a header without its colon no longer stalls the parser (thanks to @akshitkhokhani)
 - Epydoc: Take a param's key and kind from its `@param`, `@keyword` or `@ivar` field, instead of `type` when its `@type` field comes first
 - Epydoc: Give a name described by two fields, such as `@param x:` and `@ivar x:`, an item for each instead of keeping the last
diff --git a/docstring_parser/auto.py b/docstring_parser/auto.py
index c795e3c2..00a8e56e 100644
--- a/docstring_parser/auto.py
+++ b/docstring_parser/auto.py
@@ -9,9 +9,12 @@
 
 # Any line that could start a field or a section in some style: a ReST
 # ``:field``, an Epydoc ``@field``, a Google title ending in a colon, or a
-# Numpydoc dashes underline or ``..`` directive.
+# Numpydoc underline of dashes or equals signs, or ``..`` directive.
 _FIELD_LINE = re.compile(
-    r"^[^\S\n]*[:@]" r"|:[^\S\n]*$" r"|^[^\S\n]*-+[^\S\n]*$" r"|^[^\S\n]*\.\.",
+    r"^[^\S\n]*[:@]"
+    r"|:[^\S\n]*$"
+    r"|^[^\S\n]*(?:-+|=+)[^\S\n]*$"
+    r"|^[^\S\n]*\.\.",
     flags=re.M,
 )
 
diff --git a/docstring_parser/numpydoc.py b/docstring_parser/numpydoc.py
index b13fd4a8..defe6d0d 100644
--- a/docstring_parser/numpydoc.py
+++ b/docstring_parser/numpydoc.py
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ class Section:
 
     :param title: section title. For most sections, this is a heading like
                   "Parameters" which appears on its own line, underlined by
-                  en-dashes ('-') on the following line.
+                  dashes ('-') or equals signs ('=') on the following line.
     :param key: meta key string. In the parsed ``DocstringMeta`` instance this
                 is the ``key`` of the parsed ``DocstringMeta``.
     """
@@ -172,8 +172,9 @@ def _title_pattern(self) -> str:
         """
         if self._spec is not None and self._spec.bare:
             return rf"^({re.escape(self.title)})[ \t]*$"
-        dashes = "-" * len(self.title)
-        return rf"^({re.escape(self.title)})\s*?\n{dashes}\s*$"
+        # As in napoleon, the underline may be shorter or longer than the
+        # title, and made of equals signs as a ReST heading's may be.
+        return rf"^({re.escape(self.title)})\s*?\n(?:-{{2,}}|={{2,}})\s*$"
 
     def _parse(self, text: str) -> T.Iterable[DocstringMeta]:
         """Parse ``DocstringMeta`` objects from the body of this section.
@@ -660,11 +661,33 @@ def process_one(
             head = None
 
         if isinstance(one, DocstringParam) and written is not None:
-            head = f"{one.arg_name} : {written}"
+            # With no name, a space before the colon would indent the line.
+            head = (
+                f"{one.arg_name} : {written}"
+                if one.arg_name
+                else f": {written}"
+            )
         elif one.type_name and head:
             head += f" : {one.type_name}"
         elif one.type_name:
-            head = one.type_name
+            # A colon on the first line of a return's type would read back
+            # as one after its name, unless a colon before it says there
+            # is none.
+            if (
+                isinstance(one, DocstringReturns)
+                and ":" in one.type_name.split("\n", 1)[0]
+            ):
+                head = f": {one.type_name}"
+            else:
+                head = one.type_name
+        elif (
+            isinstance(one, DocstringReturns)
+            and head
+            and one.type_name is not None
+        ):
+            # A return's name alone would read back as its type; the colon
+            # after it says the type is empty.
+            head += " :"
         elif not head:
             head = ""
 
diff --git a/docstring_parser/tests/cases/corpus/numpy/numpy.lib._histograms_impl._get_bin_edges.txt b/docstring_parser/tests/cases/corpus/numpy/numpy.lib._histograms_impl._get_bin_edges.txt
index 6884cc58..ced3e835 100644
--- a/docstring_parser/tests/cases/corpus/numpy/numpy.lib._histograms_impl._get_bin_edges.txt
+++ b/docstring_parser/tests/cases/corpus/numpy/numpy.lib._histograms_impl._get_bin_edges.txt
@@ -22,33 +22,53 @@
     
 === parse numpydoc
 short_description: 'Computes the bins used internally by `histogram`.'
-long_description: |
-  Parameters
-  ==========
-  a : ndarray
-      Ravelled data array
-  bins, range
-      Forwarded arguments from `histogram`.
-  weights : ndarray, optional
-      Ravelled weights array, or None
-  
-  Returns
-  =======
-  bin_edges : ndarray
-      Array of bin edges
-  uniform_bins : (Number, Number, int):
-      The upper bound, lowerbound, and number of bins, used in the optimized
-      implementation of `histogram` that works on uniform bins.
 blank_after_short_description: True
 blank_after_long_description: False
 style: numpydoc
+- DocstringParam
+  description: 'Ravelled data array'
+  kind: param
+  key: 'param'
+  arg_name: 'a'
+  type_name: 'ndarray'
+  is_optional: False
+- DocstringParam
+  description: 'Forwarded arguments from `histogram`.'
+  kind: param
+  key: 'param'
+  arg_name: 'bins, range'
+  is_optional: False
+- DocstringParam
+  description: 'Ravelled weights array, or None'
+  kind: param
+  key: 'param'
+  arg_name: 'weights'
+  type_name: 'ndarray'
+  is_optional: True
+  raw_type_name: 'ndarray, optional'
+- DocstringReturns
+  description: 'Array of bin edges'
+  kind: returns
+  key: 'returns'
+  type_name: 'ndarray'
+  is_generator: False
+  return_name: 'bin_edges'
+- DocstringReturns
+  description: |
+    The upper bound, lowerbound, and number of bins, used in the optimized
+    implementation of `histogram` that works on uniform bins.
+  kind: returns
+  key: 'returns'
+  type_name: '(Number, Number, int):'
+  is_generator: False
+  return_name: 'uniform_bins'
 === detect
-rest
+numpydoc
 === compose numpydoc
 Computes the bins used internally by `histogram`.
 
 Parameters
-==========
+----------
 a : ndarray
     Ravelled data array
 bins, range
@@ -57,7 +77,7 @@ weights : ndarray, optional
     Ravelled weights array, or None
 
 Returns
-=======
+-------
 bin_edges : ndarray
     Array of bin edges
 uniform_bins : (Number, Number, int):
diff --git a/docstring_parser/tests/cases/numpydoc/compose_returns_01.txt b/docstring_parser/tests/cases/numpydoc/compose_returns_01.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..31ba7bc4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docstring_parser/tests/cases/numpydoc/compose_returns_01.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+# Test that compose keeps a return's empty type, and a colon in its type.
+=== input
+Short.
+
+Returns
+-------
+total :
+    The total.
+: a: b
+    Odd.
+=== parse numpydoc
+short_description: 'Short.'
+blank_after_short_description: True
+blank_after_long_description: False
+style: numpydoc
+- DocstringReturns
+  description: 'The total.'
+  kind: returns
+  key: 'returns'
+  type_name: ''
+  is_generator: False
+  return_name: 'total'
+- DocstringReturns
+  description: 'Odd.'
+  kind: returns
+  key: 'returns'
+  type_name: 'a: b'
+  is_generator: False
+  return_name: ''
+=== compose numpydoc
+Short.
+
+Returns
+-------
+total :
+    The total.
+: a: b
+    Odd.
diff --git a/docstring_parser/tests/cases/numpydoc/underline_01.txt b/docstring_parser/tests/cases/numpydoc/underline_01.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..00caca97
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docstring_parser/tests/cases/numpydoc/underline_01.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# Test that a title's underline may be shorter or longer than the title.
+=== input
+Short.
+
+Parameters
+---
+x : int
+    The x.
+
+Returns
+--------------
+int
+    The sum.
+=== parse numpydoc
+short_description: 'Short.'
+blank_after_short_description: True
+blank_after_long_description: False
+style: numpydoc
+- DocstringParam
+  description: 'The x.'
+  kind: param
+  key: 'param'
+  arg_name: 'x'
+  type_name: 'int'
+  is_optional: False
+- DocstringReturns
+  description: 'The sum.'
+  kind: returns
+  key: 'returns'
+  type_name: 'int'
+  is_generator: False
+=== compose numpydoc
+Short.
+
+Parameters
+----------
+x : int
+    The x.
+
+Returns
+-------
+int
+    The sum.
diff --git a/docstring_parser/tests/cases/numpydoc/underline_02.txt b/docstring_parser/tests/cases/numpydoc/underline_02.txt
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d9e2b784
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docstring_parser/tests/cases/numpydoc/underline_02.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,45 @@
+# Test that a title may be underlined with equals signs.
+=== input
+Short.
+
+Parameters
+==========
+x : int
+    The x.
+
+Returns
+=======
+int
+    The sum.
+=== parse numpydoc
+short_description: 'Short.'
+blank_after_short_description: True
+blank_after_long_description: False
+style: numpydoc
+- DocstringParam
+  description: 'The x.'
+  kind: param
+  key: 'param'
+  arg_name: 'x'
+  type_name: 'int'
+  is_optional: False
+- DocstringReturns
+  description: 'The sum.'
+  kind: returns
+  key: 'returns'
+  type_name: 'int'
+  is_generator: False
+=== detect
+numpydoc
+=== compose numpydoc
+Short.
+
+Parameters
+----------
+x : int
+    The x.
+
+Returns
+-------
+int
+    The sum.