ANNALES · Ser. hist. nat. · 29 · 2019 · 1
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IN MEMORIAM, 147-148
IN MEMORIAM OF FABIO PERCO (1946–2019)
In the middle of February 2019, more than 300 
people paid their last respects to Dr Fabio Perco at 
the cemetery of Santa Anna in Trieste. Fabio was an 
esteemed biologist, an outstanding ornithologist and 
a very warm person, who left a profound mark on the 
creation, protection, management and popularisation of 
many Italian natural sites of immense importance, such 
as the northern Adriatic lagoons, the coastal limestone 
cliffs and Trieste’s karstic environment. He was actively 
involved in the creation of the Škocjan Inlet Nature 
Reserve on the Slovenian coast. In short, I can surely say 
he dedicated his entire life to nature conservation.  
Fabio was a truly gifted artist, who was certainly 
bestowed his artistic talent at birth, for his father Dino 
was an excellent illustrator, as were Fabio’s brothers and 
daughters. Fabio was a master wildlife painter, able to 
produce exquisite illustrations of birds and other ani-
mals. The birds in his paintings are realistic and authen-
tic, always depicted in their natural habitats, but with 
a fairy tale touch. Some of his masterpieces of lagoon 
avifauna are on display at the centre of the Škocjanski 
Zatok Nature Reserve in Koper. His magnificent art was 
undoubtedly inspired by his love for nature, especially 
the animal kingdom. 
He planned and brought to realisation many nature 
conservation projects. His efforts were crucial in the 
creation of several coastal protected areas, such as the 
Regional Nature Reserve “Isola della Cona”. This popu-
lar ornithological and naturalist site has won numerous 
awards at national and international levels. Fabio was 
also a promotor for the establishment of a centre for 
white storks at the Oasis of Quadris near Fagagna del 
Friuli and in charge of the establishment of a lakeside 
feeding station for vultures at Cornino near Udine. Un-
fortunately, he did not manage to bring to life another 
brilliant project of his, whose goal was to reintroduce 
the white-tailed eagle (Haliaetus albicilla) into the pro-
vince of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
Fabio was also a gifted writer, publishing articles on 
a variety of topics dealing with ornithology, nature con-
servation and protected areas, especially the wetlands. 
He was a dedicated man who gathered his inspiration 
from his family, so it is not surprising that he published 
many books in co-authorship with his close relatives. 
He dedicated a lot of his time to researching birds of 
prey and owls. In fact, Fabio studied natural sciences at 
the University of Trieste, obtaining his Master of Science 
title with a thesis on the goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) in 
the Trieste Karst. My favourite book by Fabio is a mono-
graph about owls and birds of prey entitled I rapaci, 
conoscerli e proteggerli (WWF Italia, 1976), which he 
co-wrote with his father Dino and his brother Franco, 
also a skilled illustrator and writer. He also produced a 
book on the fauna of the impressive limestone cliffs of 
Duino together with his daughter Nicoletta (Fauna della 
Riserva naturale Falesie di Duino, 2011), with illustra-
tions created by his daughter Elena. Among the many 
Carcharhinus limbatus (drawing Fabio Perco).
Carcharias taurus and Odontaspis ferox (drawing Fabio Perco).
ANNALES · Ser. hist. nat. · 29 · 2019 · 1
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IN MEMORIAM, 147-148
other monographs that Fabio penned, the amazing study 
dealing with vultures, which he published with Gianni 
Benassi (Gli avvoltoi, 1985), and the one on the griffon 
vulture (Il grifone in Italia e nel mondo, 1996) co-au-
thored with Fulvio Genero and Bruno Dentesani (1996), 
deserve special mention. 
I regret to have known Fabio for only a few years; 
still, I can say that our meetings were very fruitful for me. 
I learned so much from him, heard so many stories and 
enjoyed every single moment that I spent with him in his 
karstic realm of Sgonico. The possibility and privilege to 
exchange opinions with such an erudite and discussing 
topics of terrestrial and marine biology, nature conser-
vation, history and etymology, is something I will never 
forget. He was a skilled narrator who could present a 
topic in a very interesting and detailed manner. 
But above all, I will remember Fabio as a genuinely 
warm person, a good friend with a great sense of hu-
mour, and an eternal discoverer of the secrets of nature. 
We will remain surrounded by his legacy in the wetlands 
of either side of the Gulf of Trieste...
Lovrenc Lipej
Fabio Perco (photo: Nataša Šalaja).