According to Genesis, Noah first released a raven from the Ark.
Genesis 8:6–7 says that after forty days Noah opened the Ark’s window and sent out a raven. The raven flew back and forth until the waters had dried from the earth. Noah then sent a dove on successive occasions to find out whether the floodwater had receded.
This order is sometimes forgotten because the dove receives more attention in popular retellings. The dove’s return with an olive leaf became a widely recognized symbol of peace and renewal, while the raven is usually mentioned only as the first bird released. The passage does not say that the raven brought Noah a report or a plant.
The account’s bird sequence is distinct from the separate question of what the dove carried back. Keeping the raven and dove episodes separate avoids a common mix-up: Genesis names the raven first, then describes the dove’s later flights and signs.