Corsican

Corsican cattle are the traditional cattle of Corsica, a Mediterranean island with steep hills, scrubby maquis, and a long history of small-scale pastoralism. They are generally small to medium, hardy, and variable in color, with coats ranging through black, brown, fawn, brindle, grey, and white-marked patterns. Many animals are horned. Rather than a highly standardized show breed, the Corsican type is best understood as an island landrace shaped by extensive grazing, seasonal feed shortages, and local use for meat, milk in some systems, and farm work in earlier times.

Management usually centers on grazing native vegetation and moving cattle through rough country where larger high-output breeds may struggle. Their strengths are adaptation, thriftiness, and maternal survival traits, not maximum daily gain or dairy volume. Herds still need sound fencing, identification, health checks, and winter or drought feed when pasture is poor. Conservation programs and careful local breeding help maintain the island genetics while allowing producers to select calmer, more productive animals.

Colors: Belted, Black, Black and White, Blaze Faced, Blue Roan, Brindle, Brockle Faced, Brown, Brown and White, Dun, Gray, Grey, Highbelt, Highpark, Lineback, Mottled, Pied, Red, Red and White, Red Roan, Riggit, Roan, Silver, Solid Black, Solid Red, Solid White, Speckled, Spotted, White, White Faced, Yellow