The species has its origin in the early cattle brought by the first settlers to the island, in the 15th century, from Portugal and
Flanders. The early varieties introduced onto the islands included
Alentejan, Mirandese,
Minhotan and Algarvian, which quickly adapted to the conditions over the following centuries. The breed was historically used in agricultural work and transport, in addition to as a source of meat and milk. Before the early 1970s it was dominant cattle breed on the island of Terceira and surrounding islands, until it was superseded by dairy or beef cattle breeds. With the dissemination of mechanized agricultural production, the cattle lost much of its traditional functions as a beast-of-burden, but were raised as examples of the breed for ethnographic purposes (such as ethnographic processions, where the animals pulled traditional carts). The introduction of foreign dairy breeds produced higher volumes and quality of milk, resulting in less demand for the hearty breed, which could not compete with the more productive species (such as the
Holstein-Friese). By the late 20th century, farmers were more interested in protecting or preserving the breed, with the establishment of a 1996 technical specification for the pure breed. With the establishment of a registered endemic breed, there was a resurging interest in the preservation of the Azorean breed, especially in locations within the archipelago where common dairy/meat cattle could not survive. By 1996 there were 227 registered examples, and by 2004 there were 546 registered animals in the
Livro de Adultos do Registo Zootécnico. ==Characteristics==