Fossil of E. brachyptera from the Senckenberg Museum of Frankfurt
Eocoracias ('Dawn near crow') is an monotypic genus of extinct Coraciiforme bird. It contains one species, the type species E. brachyptera.
Discovery[]
Fossils of Eocoracias were discovered in the Messel Pit Formation of Germany, and the genus and species was described in 2000 by Mayr and Mourer-Chauvire. These fossils have been dated back 47 million years ago, during the Lutetian stage of the Eocene.
Description[]
Reconstruction of Eocoracias with blue and black feathers by Ghedoghedo
Eocoracias was around 35 long. Its appearance was similar to its modern relatives, especially rollers.
In 2019, in a study by Babarović et al., the feathers of E. brachyptera were examined. The melanosomes were found to have contained non-iridescent structural coloration on its feathers—previously unfound in bird fossils. They reconstructed Eocoracias with blue feathers, and with black on its tail, rump, and a section of the neck. The wing feathers were reconstructed as both black and blue.
Paleobiology[]
Seeds and animal parts have been found in the stomach of Eocoracias, indicating that it was an omnivore with a generalized diet of seeds, fruit, and small animals such as insects. It has been suggested that they had a similar lifestyle to extant ground rollers, due to its short wings and legs, and long tail. It may have spent much of its time on the ground and nested in ground hollows.