According to Genesis, Noah sent a dove out three times after the Flood.
Genesis 8 describes Noah sending the dove to discover whether the waters had receded from the earth. The first time, it returned because it found nowhere to rest. Noah waited seven days and sent it again; this time it returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf. After another seven days, Noah sent it a third time, and it did not return.
The dove’s three missions form a compact sequence of environmental clues: no resting place, newly available vegetation, and enough dry land for the bird to remain away. The text does not say that the dove flew directly around the entire world or that the olive leaf proves a particular modern location.
The dove is often paired with the rainbow in art, although Genesis presents them at different stages. The dove appears during the search for land, while the rainbow appears in the covenant after the Flood.