According to Genesis, what did the dove bring back to Noah on its second return?

According to Genesis, the dove brought Noah an olive leaf on its second return.

Genesis 8:10–11 describes Noah waiting seven days before sending the dove again. The bird returned toward evening with a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak. Noah understood this as evidence that the floodwaters had subsided from the earth's surface. After another seven-day wait, he sent the dove once more, and it did not return.

The olive leaf became one of the most recognizable symbols associated with the Noah story. In later cultures, the dove and olive branch came to represent peace, reconciliation, and hope. Strictly speaking, Genesis says “olive leaf,” while many later images show a larger olive branch.

The episode is part of the narrative's sequence of environmental tests. Noah does not leave immediately after the first sign; he waits and sends the bird again before the final departure from the Ark.