It has the traditional name Minkar /ˈmɪŋkɑːr/, from Arabic منقار minqar meaning "beak [of the crow]"[9] The apparent visual magnitude is +3.0[2] and it is located at a distance of 318 light-years (97 parsecs) from Earth.

[10] Consequently, ε Corvi itself is known as 軫宿二 (Zhěn Sù èr, English: the Second Star of Chariot.).

[11] Epsilon Corvi is a red giant with a stellar classification of K2 III, having consumed the hydrogen at its core and evolved away from the main sequence.

The photosphere irradiates 930 times more energy than the Sun and has an effective temperature of 4239 K,[6] giving it an orange hue that is characteristic of a K-type star.

[12] It spent much of its life as a main sequence star of spectral type B5V.