According to Genesis, what did Noah release after the dove stopped returning?

The story behind the answer

According to Genesis, Noah released no further bird after the dove stopped returning. Genesis 8:12 says Noah waited another seven days and sent out the dove again; it did not return, so the narrative moves to Noah removing the Ark’s covering and observing the dry ground.

The sequence begins with a raven in Genesis 8:7, followed by the dove's flights in verses 8–12. The dove first returns without a resting place, then comes back with a fresh olive leaf, and finally does not return. Genesis does not record Noah sending another bird after that final dove flight.

Popular retellings sometimes add extra birds or repeat the raven at the end, but those details are not in the Genesis account. The text instead shifts from testing the environment with birds to Noah's direct observation and eventual departure.

This question is distinct from asking which bird came first: the raven is first, while the dove is the last bird explicitly released in the Genesis sequence.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Oct. 2026

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