It belongs to the group of convex-profiled red cattle, whose distribution across the northern Mediterranean region is thought to have followed the path of the Bell-Beaker Culture.

When importations of modern specialised dairy cattle began in the twentieth century, it was rapidly displaced by these and numbers fell sharply.

The survival of the breed is largely due to the efforts of a local vet, Gabriel Seguí, who in the 1940s brought together the remaining stock on his estates.

[5] The Menorquina was classified among the breeds "at risk of extinction" by the Ministerio de Agricultura, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente, the Spanish ministry of agriculture, on 7 November 1997.

[2]: 106  The milk is not usually sold, but is used to make Formatge de Maó, a traditional local cheese which has European Union DOP status.