According to Genesis, the dove brought Noah a freshly plucked olive leaf.
After Noah sent the dove out again, Genesis 8:11 says it returned in the evening with an olive leaf in its beak. The leaf showed that vegetation was visible again and that the floodwaters had receded enough for plants to emerge.
This episode became one of the best-known images associated with the Flood story. The olive branch or leaf later developed into a widespread symbol of peace, although the biblical passage itself focuses on renewed land and the progress of the receding waters.
The dove’s leaf should not be confused with the raven Noah sent earlier. Genesis records the raven first, then describes several departures of the dove, including the return carrying the olive leaf.