According to Genesis, what did the dove bring back to Noah from the floodwaters?

According to Genesis, the dove brought Noah a freshly plucked olive leaf.

Genesis 8:11 says the dove returned in the evening with an olive leaf in its beak. Noah understood this as evidence that the floodwaters had receded enough for vegetation to reappear. He sent the dove again later, and it did not return, indicating that it had found a place to rest.

The olive leaf became one of the best-known visual details associated with Noah’s Ark. In later art and language, a dove carrying an olive branch commonly symbolizes peace, reconciliation, and hope. Strictly speaking, Genesis describes a leaf, while many modern images show a larger branch.

The passage does not say that the dove flew directly from the ark to a distant olive grove or identify a particular tree. Its purpose in the story is practical: the bird provides Noah with information about the condition of the earth. The sign comes between two other bird flights in the narrative.