Eocoracias is an extinct genus of bird related to modern rollers and other Coraciiformes such as kingfishers, bee-eaters, motmots, and todies. It contains one species, Eocoracias brachyptera, and it lived approximately 47 million years ago (Lutetian stage) based on dating of the fossil site.Mertz, D. F., Renne, P. R. (2005): A numerical age for the Messel fossil deposit (UNESCO World Heritage Site) derived from 40Ar/39Ar dating on a basaltic rock fragment. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg no 255: pp 7–75. It is known for a specimen having preserved non-iridescent structural coloration on its feathers, previously unknown in fossil birds. Fossils have been found at the Messel Pit in Germany.Mayr, Gerald, and Cécile Mourer-Chauviré. “Rollers (Aves: Coraciiformes S.s.) from the Middle Eocene of Messel (Germany) and the Upper Eocene of the Quercy (France).” Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, vol. 20, no. 3, 2000, pp. 533–546., doi:https://doi.org/10.1671/0272-4634(2000)020[0533:RACSSF]2.0.CO;2
See also Dinosaur coloration
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