According to Genesis, Noah first released a raven from the Ark after the waters began to recede.
Genesis 8:6–7 says that Noah opened the Ark’s window and sent out a raven. The raven went back and forth until the waters dried from the earth. Noah then sent out a dove several times to test whether the ground had become habitable.
This sequence is easy to reverse because the dove becomes the more famous bird in the story. The dove’s later return with a freshly plucked olive leaf is the narrative’s clearer sign that the waters had diminished. Genesis therefore distinguishes the first bird, the raven, from the later dove episodes.
The account does not describe Noah using a modern scientific survey method. The birds function within the story as practical signs of changing conditions, and the text records their behavior as part of the final stage of the Flood chronology.